NEWSLETTER #30 (English) from Urs & Izzy: Love is in the air... and the bees?
- Izzy the busy bee....
- Jan 26
- 5 min read
January & February 2025 (Issue #30)
Dear honey lovers, we hope that you started the year full of energy and that there were no non-sense new years resolutions. It is winter, cold and our bees are cocooning, and basking on their own well deserved honey reserves. But we are doing a lot of things meanwhile.... read on, and tell us if you have some more ideas for us. You can also learn more about bees in history (and in love, as we are in February!), and also about a very dangerous "honey" that is entering Europe - and even Switzerland! A short and interesting read for a cold and lazy weekend...
Are you enjoying the newsletter? Don't be shy, tell us at baerenhonig@gmx.ch , or WhatsApp us, if you prefer. We'd love to hear from you!
News from the Beehives
Given the low temperatures, not many new things are happening with the bees - they remain clustered, eating the honey that we left for them to survive the winter. As soon as the temperatures raise to 15 C, they will start flying, searching the pollen of the hazelnut trees - pure protein, that they will feed to the larvi and pupi in order to start growing the colony with new bees! But meanwhile.... what do we, beekeepers, do? Well, we clean, repair, melt last year's wax, and prepare all of the equipment for the new season. But we have already talked about this in previous newsletters. There is one more thing that we do. We think! and we think very deeply, about which will be our next year's new products and new beehives management trials. Next year, Urs will be trying to rear Queen bees, so, we can introduce them to the colonies that lose their Queens (it has happened to us several times); otherwise, the colony with no Queen is doomed....
Regarding 'new products', beyond the lip balm, and the honey-on-the-comb, we will be attempting to make a honey-hazelnut spread - one of our dear customers suggested it- a type of super-nutella... 100% natural, of course. Another new "old" products will be small pure beeswax blocks, for those of you who are classical bakers and enjoy 'buttering' the molds for the cakes and muffins with wax, like the 'pâtissiers' used to do. We will keep you posted on our trials, our successes...and failures!
Where is my Honey...?
Your honey is still waiting for you... and your loved ones! If you receive this newsletter, is because you are one of our customers -- and we make sure that we keep enough honey for you, until the new harvest arrives (hopefully!)
Your honey is carefully stored in our basement, at a constant temperature and humidity, so it keeps fresh for you!
Remember, we deliver the honey to your doorstep (or more like, your mailbox), in a very ecological manner -- and we also pick up your empty glasses, if you have, so they can be carefully cleaned and recycled. If you live in Witikon, we usually deliver within 24 - 48 h (unless your order finds us skiing on the mountains over the weekend).
If you live in the rest of Zurich... it depends on how lazy is Izzy to take the bicycle and ride down (and up) from Witikon... -- if it is snowy, windy, rainy, or cold... - or if you order more than 5 pots.... then Urs makes the delivery. Well, there are some Queen bees also among us! Spot the drone and the Queen bee in the two AI-created images!
Facts & Figures
As everybody is talking about the US president lately, let's talk about another US president - George Washington. To the left, is his free-masonic apron. (One of the pieces of cloth that he would wear during his masonic gatherings). Look at the top, yes! it is a beehive! The beehive is a prominent symbol in Masonic teachings, representing the ideal of a well-ordered and productive life. It is often used to illustrate the importance of diligence, cooperation, and service. The beehive also represents the Masonic Lodge as a space of community and mutual aid, where members work together for a shared purpose, much as bees work together to support their colony. In some Masonic lodges, the bee is depicted in Masonic emblems or decorations. This reflects the idea that Freemasons, like bees, should be industrious, constantly working toward self-improvement and contributing positively to their families, communities, and the world at large.
Did you know that...?
....the relation between honey, bees and love gets muuuuch older than St. Valentin. In Greek mythology, bees are much more than simple insects; they are powerful symbols of fertility, love, harvest, and the interconnectedness of life and nature, deeply connected to the deities Hymen, Demeter, and Artemis. Honey was also considered a divine substance, often associated with the gods as a symbol of sweetness, fertility, and life-giving energy, particularly linked to Aphrodite. Bees represent the sweetness and unity of love (in the case of Aphrodite and Hymen), the generative forces of life (in Demeter’s connection to agriculture), and the cyclical nature of life and death (in Artemis's guardianship of women and nature). "Melissae" (which translates literally to Honey Priestesses) was the name given to the women which were living in Aphrodite's temples, emphasizing the idea of bees as not only symbols of fertility but also as active agents of divine love and affection.
Swiss Bees
Incredible, but true... only last year, the French border police seized 13 Tons of "potency" honey, imported illegally, as it is reported in the Swiss news. According to the customs documents, it was supposed to be natural honey, but this was 'no ordinary' honey. The product, imported from Malaysia, Turkey, Tunisia or Thailand, contained active ingredients (among others) such as sildenafil or tadalafil, used to treat erectile dysfunction and are subject to the Medicines Act. Consumption could be hazardous to health, as neither the dosage nor indications of side effects are indicated.
"Potency" honey is offered under various brands in the form of shots or sticks, in small shops or on the Internet, or even (in Germany), in 500g pots, with the promise that it promotes fitness and health. Buyers often do not know the potential danger of these products or underestimate them. Please buy only natural honey, preferably, from known sources. Check also the label, and make sure that your honey is, if possible, Suisse. Once that these 'ilegal honeys' enter into EU territory, they can be mixed with local honeys, and then you see labels like "honey from EU sources"...which is as good as nothing....
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