The quiet time for beekeepers gets a little bit more active at this time of year, writes Ethel Irvine from Fermanagh Beekeepers' Association in her report for December.

Honeybees have been flying on fairly regularly so far, which is still a bit of a quandary for us – should we be pleased that they are still alive, or worried that they are using up their stores?

The usual routine checks should be carried out on a regular basis, including ensuring that the water supply for the apiary is still functional, the hive roofs are keeping the crown board dry, the entrance is clear of debris, and the mouse guard is secure.

Frequency of hefting is increased as the bees have been using more of their stores as the brood rearing has continued throughout this warmer than usual winter.

I have noticed a slight decrease in weight, and will now heft every week instead of every three to four weeks.

As yet, there is no need to feed fondant, and we should remember that just because bees are taking it down, does not necessarily mean they need it.

An introductory course in beekeeping is run by Fermanagh Beekeepers’ Association in conjunction with Cafre and the Ulster Beekeepers’ Association every winter.

As I wrote last month, it is suitable for anyone who is interested in taking up beekeeping, but who has absolutely no idea of how to care for bees.

Jackie Barry will be the tutor and, for the foreseeable future, theory meetings will be held by Zoom online meetings, with outdoor instruction with the bees in the apiary in early summer.

All details can be found on the Cafre website at www.cafre.ac/business/introductiontobeekeeping.

Winter control of the Varroa mite levels is carried out when the colony is free of brood, supposedly at mid-winter.

In our moderate temperature, the broodless period is virtually non-existent. The varroa insert should be put in place for at least five days and the daily mite drop worked out.

If it is over one mite per day, treatment using one of the licensed, commercially available, oxalic acid-based medications may be applied, either by vaporisation or by the trickle method.

There may be increased numbers of mites this year because of the warmer weather, leading to more brood being reared, and hence more Varroa mites being reared in the brood cells.

This is not good news for the efficacy of oxalic acid-based treatments since the vapour cannot penetrate the sealed brood cells to reach the mites.

Also, because there is little brood, there may be multiple mites breeding in each cell. Regular monitoring in the coming months could give information which might help avoid disaster as we come into summer.

I leave it to each beekeeper to decide for himself whether mild winters are a help or a hindrance when it comes to keeping healthy bees – I know where my vote goes.

A member of the association has asked me to describe the various forms in which honey may be presented, as she herself has had some puzzled customers.

Runny honey or run honey is extracted from frames, wired for extra strength, from the supers.

As is true for most of the honey taken from the bees, the frames are arranged above a queen excluder, which does not allow the queen to lay eggs in this area of the hive.

The wax cells are freshly drawn and clear of any of the detritus left behind after brood rearing.

Only frames of fully-sealed honey are used, so that the beekeeper is sure that the honey is properly ripened – i.e., the bees have evaporated off excess water, leaving the sticky, golden product.

The pure wax cappings are removed (and saved for future use), the frames are put in the extractor which spins them, removing the honey.

The honey is drained from the extractor through a double strainer – coarse mesh on top, with a finer mesh below. This honey can be bottled and sold as ‘raw’ honey.

If a honey label states Raw Honey, it means that it has only been strained to remove any bees’ legs or wings, etc.

It will not have been subjected to heat. It will probably contain more pollen and will crystallise quite quickly, depending on the plants from which the nectar was gathered.

If you are fortunate enough to be given a jar of honey just removed in mid harvest, it could most probably be classified as raw honey.

Usually, however, the beekeeper will store this extracted honey in sealed buckets, where it will gradually crystallise.

As he needs it, he will put a bucket in a heating cabinet to liquefy it, being careful to set the thermostat to a suitable temperature.

My own preference is for around 35C – the average temperature of the brood nest – for a couple of days until the honey is liquid.

It is then strained into a settling, where it is left until the air bubbles have risen to the top.

It is then bottled and labelled. This is Run Honey and is the type most usually found on shop shelves.

For Cut Comb honey, the frames have unwired, thinner foundation. The honey is cut from the capped frame and should contain no cells of pollen.

The pollen is not harmful, but it spoils the appearance of the finished product.

It is divided into neat blocks, usually around 230g, placed in purpose-made boxes and lidded.

It should not be sticky with honey oozing from the cells around the sides.

Section Honey is a specialised product which is difficult but not impossible to produce from modern hives.

It involves placing wooden or plastic boxes, 11cm by 11cm, with a small strip of foundation in each, above the brood box.

Bees have to draw the foundation to fill each box, build the cells and fill them with ripe capped honey.

The colonies have to be strong, and there has to be a good nectar flow from the flowers as the bees are often reluctant to enter the small section boxes, and once there, they keep the temperature at around 35C for the bees to produce and mould the wax for the cells.

Once the sections are filled, they are removed, cleaned and wrapped for sale. The weight is usually 1lb.

I have seen a section of heather honey advertised recently, and priced at £25!

When honey crystallises, it is often very hard. This is set honey.

Soft set honey and creamed honey both use this as a base. The crystallised honey is liquefied, being careful to keep the temperature low, as in both types fine crystals of another honey (often oil seed rape) are added and these crystals cannot be allowed to melt.

They form the nuclei around which the controlled formation of new fine crystals in the bulk liquid honey takes place.

For Soft Set honey, the seed crystals are added and stirred in, and the honey is bottled.

For Creamed Honey, the fine seed crystals are added and the mixture is agitated, without the addition of air, until a creamy liquid results. The honey is bottled and labelled.

Other questions concerned crystallised honey and eating wax. Crystallisation of honey is completely natural, and does not mean that it has 'gone off’.

Gentle heat, such as that given by a water bath, or 30 seconds in the microwave (with the lid removed), will restore it to its liquid state.

While wax has no nutritional value, it has a mild antimicrobial effect and is safe to eat, as proved by the consumption of section honey and cut comb.

Very little research has been carried out on its beneficial effects.

It is obvious that, whatever the presentation of honey, nothing is added to this most natural of products, and local honey is much prized not only for its medicinal value, but also for its flavour, which will vary from area to area and from season to season because of the range of blossoms upon which the bees forage.

Heating honey to temperatures of 71C and above will destroy many of its enzymes and health-giving properties.

Honey produced in Fermanagh and surrounding counties will not have undergone excessive heat treatment, such as in pasteurisation, and will not have been over-filtered, so its goodness is retained and it will contain local pollens.