Honey

Just about everyone loves honey.  Before the coming of sugar, it was one of the few ways that man could sweeten his food.  It is also nutritious and very good for the health.  The Diary confesses to taking a spoonful of honey every day, which probably explains a few things.

The best honey is undoubtably local honey, and we are fortunate that we have people on the Ardnamurchan peninsula who keep bees.  It isn't easy: this is about as far north as honey bees operate, and the long, dark and wet winters do not suit them.  But, in one very important way, our bee colonies are fortunate: many of the world's bees are being attacked by a tiny insect called a varroa mite, which destroys their colonies.

This map of Scotland shows the distribution of varroa in Scotland.  Despite the Government seeming to give up the fight by declaring all Scotland infected - see link here - Ardnamurchan is one of the areas which is still varroa-free.  It could be assumed that we are saved from this scourge by the hills that surround us which restrict bee movement, and by the low population densities of both humans and bees.  That the varroa mites have travelled across to the Outer Hebrides proves that one of the ways in which they spread is by bee-keepers importing hives or queens that are infected.

By protecting our local honey bees, we ensure that their unique genetics make-up is preserved for the future. Local bee keepers have appealed to everyone to ensure that the varroa mites don't reach Ardnamurchan by humans importing them with bees from elsewhere.

Many thanks to Acharacle beekeeper Kate Atchley for the map, and Tom Bryson - website here - for the pot of honey.  The Scottish Beekeepers Association website is here, and there's more about the varroa mite here.