Beamliving

Crystallization is a normal, natural and inevitable process – not a sign of product deterioration. Crystallized honey retains all of its flavour and properties (enzymes, proteins and vitamins). It simply changes in texture.

If you are among those who don’t like the more “creamy” texture of crystallized honey, simply heat it gently in a double boiler until it liquifies.

Each flower produces nectar that has a unique color, flavor, and texture. Since bees forage in a range of 3-5 kilometers / 2-3 miles around their hive, honey produced on each rooftop is unique and carries its own distinct signature, drawn from the surrounding ecosystem and celebrating local characteristics.

When bees leave the hive, they have but one goal: to forage for resources (nectar, pollen and tree resin) that are within 3-5 km / 2-3 miles. When they take off, they reach an altitude of 6 metres / 20 feet within the first 2 metres / 6 feet. Most of their activity is concentrated within this space.

Bees are often mistaken for wasps, and vice versa. It can be difficult for the untrained eye to see the difference between the two!

Bees are small, hairy, and black and gold. They’re essentially vegetarian, and only have the power to sting once, due to their barbed stinger. Wasps, on the other hand, are big, smooth, and bright yellow and black. They’re omnivorous (they hunt for nectar, pollen, and insect or animal protein to feed their young) and can sting repeatedly due to their smooth stinger.

While wasps are not as cute or charming as honey bees, they still play an important role in the ecosystem by helping to control insect populations – a bit like spiders!

It really shouldn’t be a worry - bees are not interested in humans. They set out on a daily quest to bring back resources to the colony to ensure its development. Besides, bees die when they sting. They lose their stinger and part of their abdomen, so they have no interest in stinging unless they feel their colony is threatened. We keep Italian bees that have a very mild temperament. Because of this, they’re perfect neighbors in densely populated urban areas. It’s also why urban beekeepers wear little or no protection.

Not at all. Some bees are selected for their intensity and honey-producing abilities (particularly in commercial honey production), while others are chosen for their docility (ideal for urban beekeeping). This is the case of the Italian bee, which is the one we work with. It has a very mild temperament, making it the perfect neighbor in densely populated urban areas.

In ideal conditions, a bee colony can last forever as an organism. Worker bees live for about 30 days while the queen can live up to 3 years – given that she lays up to 2,000 eggs per day in high season, the bee population is constantly renewing itself. As the queen nears the end of her life, the colony naturally acts to replace her.

In a way, helping a hive to reproduce can be compared to doing the same for a domestic plant: with lots of care and the right conditions, the plant will grow continually and eventually produce cuttings!

Not at all. Bees have absolutely no interest in eating anything but nectar and pollen. As opposed to wasps, the omnivorous little guys ogling your ham sandwich (they feed their young with animal or insect protein), bees will forage in a 3-5 kilometres / 2-3 miles radius around their hive in search of the best nectar (sugar) and pollen (vegetal protein) sources. When you think about it, bees are actually – well, vegan!

Yes, they can – but it’s our job to prevent bees from swarming. Only rarely are swarms impossible to detect or prevent. Swarming is a natural phenomenon in which a strong , healthy honey bee colony chooses to divide into two smaller colonies – much like cellular division. Simply put, bees start by raising a new queen. Right before she emerges, the old queen leaves the colony, along with half of its population to search for a new home.

Honey bees keep a stable temperature inside their hive of about 35 ̊C / 95 ̊F year-round. When it’s cold, they reduce their activities to the minimum, form a cluster and contract their muscles to generate heat. When it’s hot, it’s the opposite – ventilator bees station themselves at strategic positions throughout the hive to effectively circulate air. On extremely hot days, they’ll even use water from outside the hive in their ventilation to cool off the interior!

On average, an urban hive produces 15 kilos (30 pounds) of honey per year.

Crystallization is a normal, natural and inevitable process – not a sign of product deterioration. Crystallized honey retains all of its flavour and properties (enzymes, proteins and vitamins). It simply changes in texture.

If you are among those who don’t like the more “creamy” texture of crystallized honey, simply heat it gently in a double boiler until it liquifies.

Each flower produces nectar that has a unique color, flavor, and texture. Since bees forage in a range of 3-5 kilometers / 2-3 miles around their hive, honey produced on each rooftop is unique and carries its own distinct signature, drawn from the surrounding ecosystem and celebrating local characteristics.