Our Third Newsletter |
New 200g Jars Available in 4 Packs! | Tim's New Article on our
incredible Total Medicinal Activity Test Restults | Blue Mountains
Polyflora Honeycomb Back in Stock | Reduced shipping rate and minimum
spend until Christmas | Christmas Order Deadline
|
|
A Heavenly, Ethereal Gift
|
|
|
|
~•*•~
'I sing of honey, the heavenly ethereal gift'
Georgics, Virgil, 29 B.C.
|
|
Hello Emma, As this eventful year rapidly draws to a close, we hope this missive finds you well and thriving. In
the interest of saving some of your precious post-lockdown and
pre-Christmas time, we will keep this month's edition a little shorter
but just as sweet! Our main news is that we now have 200g jars of Wild Honey available
in 4 packs online in time for Christmas. In addition to that, Tim has
written an article on the fantastic results our Wild Honeys achieved in
the TA (Total Activity) tests which measure antibacterial properties in honey.
We will also share some select products and gift ideas, deadlines for ordering prior to Christmas, and as always, Tim will update you on his beekeeping sojourns.
|
|
200g Jars Now Available in Four Packs We are excited to now offer 200g jars of our Award Winning Honeys - just in time for Christmas!
|
|
These smaller jars have
proven popular through our distributor and retail channels and are now
available for direct purchase in our online shop. Four of our
current and award winning varieties are included in the 200g packs, so
you can buy a pack to sample yourself or purchase one to use for gifts.
They are perfect stocking fillers or a sweet addition to a gourmet
hamper.
|
|
~•*•~
Single 200g jars will
be available to purchase next year in our online shop - we will keep you
updated via our newsletter so stay tuned!
|
|
|
|
Despite the many
trials and tribulations that come with running a primary production
business
Tim has managed to write another article! This time he discusses the TA (Total Activity) test results we received recently which analyse the antibacterial strength of our Wild Honeys. If you’re interested in the medicinal benefits of honey, or healthy food in general, the below article, and
prior articles loaded on our website outline how our products differ from conventionally produced honey.
|
|
Our Wild Honey: Healthy Bees, Medicinal Honey
|
|
A frame of
Wild Honey from one of our Warré hives in the Central Tablelands
|
In this, our
third article on test results, Tim looks at how our honeys performed in
Total Activity (TA) tests,
which assign a number value to indicate the antibacterial strength of a
particular honey. Although our primary aim is to increase bee health
and resilience, we also
endeavour
to supply a medicinally beneficial, ethically produced honey at an
affordable price to the community. Therefore, we were thrilled to
discover that
every sample of our honey was found to be highly active.
|
|
|
Tim will be writing
more articles in the near future and commenting on papers released in
beekeeping and scientific circles when he gets a spare minute, so we
will keep you posted on any new articles in this newsletter and on
Instagram.
|
|
As mentioned in last month's missive, we are thankful to have plenty of
Wild Honey available in
4 packs and 3 jar sizes for most varieties and
Wild Honeycomb still in stock ~ so it's a great time to tick off some items on your Christmas list! In addition to the
200g jars 4 Packs mentioned above, our Blue Mountains Polyflora
Wild Honeycomb 300g Sections are available online again. As always we have
E-Gift vouchers on offer so you can give the gift of honey this Christmas without the extra pressure of meeting postal deadlines.
|
|
Shipping and Housekeeping (Pre-Christmas)
|
|
In keeping with the Christmas Spirit we have decided to
extend our recently reduced shipping rate and reduced minimum spend requirement until Christmas. To guarantee delivery by Christmas we advise you to
place your orders by the end of November
as Australia Post has advised there may be delays in delivering goods
during this peak period (and due to Covid related disruptions).
Our online store will be open over the Christmas break, however, we
won't be posting orders out between the 21st and 28th December.
|
|
~•*•~
This Month's Select Products
|
|
Wild Honey 500g Blue Mountains Polyflora $32.00
|
Wild Honeycomb 300g Wooden Section Blue Mountains Polyflora $40.00
|
|
|
Malfroy's Gold E-Gift Voucher $50.00
|
Wild Honey 200g Mixed 4 Pack (other combinations and sizes available) $64.00
|
|
|
* Please note we are
bound by Australian Biosecurity regulations so are not permitted to
send honey to TAS, NT or WA
|
|
Another instalment of Tim's Warré beekeeping adventures in the Blue Mountains and Central Tablelands.
|
|
A picture of health
and abundance! One of our Warré apiaries in the lower Blue Mountains
|
|
Spring has sprung and
the colonies in the lower Blue Mountains are thriving on a diet of
diverse wildflowers. In these conditions, and despite their large size
and wild genetics, colonies in natural comb Warré hives are usually
docile and very little protective clothing is needed when working them.
|
|
The beauty of fresh, virgin comb built by the bees
|
A large colony ‘bearding’on a honeyflow in the lower Blue Mountains
|
|
|
In spring I add empty
boxes underneath the broodnest which allows the colonies to expand
naturally and at their own pace. The speed of comb construction during
‘honeyflows’ (a seasonal abundance of nectar in the environment) can be
astonishing!
|
|
A quick selfie with the bees!
|
|
|
I never tire of seeing
large, wild colonies thriving in great conditions. During warm weather
or when a colony’s population outgrows its home you will often see the
‘bearding’ phenomenon (it looks like the hive has a beard of bees) and
it’s a sign that the colony needs more space i.e. additional boxes to
expand into. These colonies that are ‘bubbling’ out of the boxes are
perfect for producing some of our
unique 300g wooden sections of Wild Honeycomb – a beautifully pure product that we’re very proud of.
Spring is also swarm season for the bees! Sometimes collecting them can
be tricky – I had one leave a hive recently and cluster underneath a
sandstone ledge a few metres off the ground. Climbing up with an empty
box and trying to hold my balance, I carefully scooped the bees into the
box and then shook them onto the white cloth above the ledge, directing
them into the hive I’d prepared. I spotted the queen amongst the throng
of bees, and watched as they marched into the hive, accepting it as
their new home.
|
|
Lace Monitor (Tree Goanna) in the apiary, Wollemi Wilderness
|
An awkward but successful swarm catch on a sandstone ledge
|
|
|
Sometimes things can
take you by surprise in the bush – usually a snake or spider to liven
the senses! I heard a rustling in the dry leaves behind me the other day
when I was checking colonies at one of our apiaries in the Wollemi
wilderness. I was excited to see a small (well, not that small!) Lace
Monitor (Tree Goanna), which quickly scurried up the large Eucalypt
(oozing kino) behind me. It’s a privilege to not only work with the
bees, but to spend so much time in these incredible landscapes as they
are full of unique wildlife.
~•*•~
As previously
promised, Tim will continue to fill your feed with updates from the
field about the ever changing and unique flora of the regions, bee
biology, our wild honey produce and other interesting things - all bee
related - follow along below!
|
|
Once again, thank you
to everyone who contacted us or purchased items after reading our
previous newsletter - your ongoing support of what we do is very much
appreciated! We hope you enjoyed our third, briefer, newsletter and are always happy to hear your thoughts. (If you missed last month's newsletter and would like to read it you can do so
here.) Thank you for reading, Tim, Emma and the Daughters of the Light
Below: Alex Prichard's
Mango Sorbet, Messina Jersey Milk & Malfroy’s Honey Gelato, Green Ants & Wax Leaf, Icebergs Dining Room and Bar. Photo:
@alexsprichard | Instagram
|
|
|
|
|