Raw Langham Honey

05/10/2026

Varoa & varoa resistance..

Varoa Destructor mite is by far the greatest threat to all bees.

Many bee keepers choose what they think is a natural method to varoa. Believing a single hive can grow resistance to the mite.

This is a common misconception. Varoa resistance isn't a single hive achievement where miraculously the bees survive.

Its a multi generational evolution, and the term resistance does not mean immunity, the bees actually lean how to remove and survive with minor infestation.

There's many projects where bees are surviving, but one of the biggest hindrances is hobby bee keepers not understanding what to do with untreated hives.

The BBKA does not recognise a 'no intervention' appropoach. However supports treatment free.

Responsible treatment free hives should be destroyed if varoa has taken control. This is how immunity is made. Ensuring only the strongest survive. Hard for the bee keepers, essential for the bee 🐝

The biggest threat to bees has always been humans, and unfortunately even when many think they are doing good. They are doing the opposite.

05/10/2026

Its rarely wise to follow what your friends and acquaintances suggest when it comes to animal care.

Humans struggle to understand animal behaviour because humans thrive off emotions and visual satisfaction.

Seeing your bees or even a pet chomping down some unhealthy substance results in little more than your own endorphins boost.

All care for bees should follow national veterinary guidance. Most of which can be found through bee keeping associations.

Honey bees have widly been considered the most important creature on the planet now. Caring for them is not a case of suck it and see!

Poor practices not only affects your own bees, but millions of bees around you.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Wnz9kSToN/

The trend of placing mashed bananas on top of hive frames is a misguided practice often fueled by anecdotal "wisdom" rather than biological reality.

You will find that while "beekeeping myths" like banana feeding persist in hobbyist circles, they are never supported by controlled veterinary or agricultural research.

I strongly think that beekeepers who use bananas as a food source are fundamentally ignoring the specialized digestive anatomy of the honey bee.

Too many beekeepers believe that the potassium and vitamins in bananas act as a "superfood" that can stimulate the queen to lay more eggs or strengthen the immune system.

There is also a persistent myth that the scent of ripening bananas mimics certain pheromones that can calm a colony or encourage hygiene behavior.

Bees are not mammals!!!!!

You need to understand that the high moisture content and sugar levels of a decaying banana create a perfect breeding ground for opportunistic pathogens like Nosema or various fungal spores.

The fermenting fruit also releases volatile compounds that act as a beacon for hive beetles, wasps, and ants, inviting a predatory invasion that can overwhelm a struggling colony.

I strongly think that the supposed benefits of fruit feeding are a psychological comfort for the beekeeper that provides zero measurable advantage to the insect.

Efficiency and health in the apiary come from respecting the evolutionary boundaries of the species, not from treating your hives like a compost bin.

If you enjoyed this article, I invite you to read the first chapter of my book (You can find it in my bio 🙏)

For all the paid members who keep my lights on and my dream of making worldwide beekeeping education available for free, I wish to thank you from the bottom of my heart 🧡

Happy beekeeping and healthy winter bees 🐝❄️

30/08/2026

3 is the magic number as they say.

Did you know a honey bee will travel no more than 3 miles (radius) to forage.

If a bee hive is ever to be moved, you should follow the rule of 3.. No more than 3 feet, or at least 3 miles.

Within 3 feet the bees will quickly find their way home, above this many will become confused at detriment to the hive.

Above 3 miles the bees are completely disoriented and will carry out new orientation flights to familiarise their new location 🤯

15/08/2026

What a fantastic day at Langham Summer Fair. This was Raw Langham Honey's debut public event and it couldn't have gone better.

Thank you to Dawn and all the other volunteers for all the behind the scenes work done to bring this event together - no mean feat!

Thanks to everyone who came to see us, tried our honey and gave such fabulous feedback on our Raw Langham Honey range.

Our Honey infusions were a great success, so much so, we have now sold out of our organic Madagascan Vanilla honey.

We will definitely be producing a Ginger infusion next season and will increase our production of Vanilla and Birdeye Chilli infusions.

It was great to chat to so many of you about our bee keeping journey and to talk about the Honey harvesting process.

There's still stock, and this will continue to be available for collection at your convenience from Perry Lane, Langham, CO4 5PH.

Langham Community Centre

15/08/2026

We're all set up at Langham Summer Fair

Look forward to seeing you there.

Langham Community Centre

09/08/2026

Honey bees are often referred to by their roles, nurse bee, guard bee or forager.

But every worker bee goes through much the same life cycle. Depending on the needs of the hive.

When born a worker bee is responsible for cleaning duties for the first few days.

She then becomes a nurse bee, caring for the larve.

Around 2 week old she gets promoted to building, making wax and capping combs.

Before she's given freedom to roam, she takes up guard duties and finally around 3 weeks old she is sent out to forage. A task she will do until she's meets her end.

07/08/2026

Did you know.. a queen bee receives enough s***m in her mating process to last her entire life.

A virgin queen honey bee mates with multiple drones during her early mating flights.

A queen typically mates with 10 to 40 different drones during a single or a few successive mating flights.

Mating happens high in the air at specific gathering places called drone congregation areas.

When a drone mates, his reproductive organs break off inside the queen, and he dies immediately. A process that preserves genetics and prevents cross breeding.

The queen stores all the s***m in a special organ called a s***matheca, which provides enough genetic material to fertilize millions of eggs for her entire 2- to 5-year lifespan.

05/08/2026

Another 17kg (37lbs) of honey from our final harvest 😍

Thats a bumper total of 53kg (116lbs) for the season.

That's equivalent to 155 jars at 340g (12oz)

Well done them 🐝 🍯 👏

04/08/2026

In the middle 1800's the science of bees was becoming far more understood than ever before, and in true human fashion, we used that knowledge to create circus acts 🤣

Bee bearding was a fascinating stunt. How was it done?.. A queen bee would be locked in a cage and stuck under a performers chin.

The bees would follow the queens feremones and form a cluster on the performers face, no bee tamer, just dumbtrickery.