London honey

Some members have honey to sell (members, please provide updates to services@lbka.org.uk).

Geoffrye; geoffryehood@me.com; collection-only from Bounds Green.
350g: Runny honey: £10 (3 for £25)
Dulwich (SE21), Herne Hill (SE27), West Norwood (SE27), Brixton (SW2) Jean Azzopard (07595 509798; jean.azzopardi72@gmail.com); £2.50 postage or collect.
227g/8oz: honey: £6.50
Streatham Hill (Kirkstall Road; SW2) Alison Wareham; awareham6@gmail.com; 20p for every jar sold donated to Bees for Development Fund. 50p discount for returned jars.
192g: £5
450g: £10
Harringay Ladder (near Turnpike Lane; N8) Aidan; aidan.slingsby@gmail.com
227g/8oz: honey: £6
East Finchley (N2) and Arnos Park (N11) Lucie; mieldelucie@gmail.com; collection only from N2.
227g/8oz: honey: £6
340g/12oz: honey: £9
Wax also available for sale. Any profits donated to the Finchley foodbank.
Kilburn/Crickewood (NW2/NW6) Vane; nw23qj@gmail.com;
Spring Honey from St Cuthberts Road NW2 3QJ

Honey is bees' way of storing the nectar they collect. Bees collect nectar, bring it back to the hive and deposit it into the hexagonal wax cells they build. Over the course of a few days, they add enzymes and other substances from their bodies, and evaporate water from the nectar. When the water content becomes less than about 15%, the cell is sealed with wax, preventing it from rehydrating. It will then keep for years.

Honey stores accumulated during the rest of the year keep the bees alive during bad weather and in the winter months when it is too cold to fly and there are few flowering plants. But most of it is used as fuel to keep the young bees in the brood nest heated to about 35^oC in spring and summer.

People also like honey and most beekeepers harvest it. If we do this, we have a responsibility to either leave them enough for the winter and/or feed them sugar when required.

The taste and colour of honey varies greatly. It depends on the flowers that provided the nectar. London honey is highly prized for its complex flavours as cities usually have a greater diversity of flowers and a longer flowering season.