Here you will find the answers to some of the most frequent questions concerning honeys, beekeeping, etc.
Buleo Miel has put together this list of questions and answers, which includes the most common questions submitted by our customers and users on social media and questions via the Blog. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Is your honey natural?
Our honey is 100% natural and does not contain any other ingredients or additives. The honey is simply heated and filtered, that is, in order to filter the honey and transport it to the deposits, it goes through a mild heating process, which does not exceed 35/40ºC. The honey does not lose any of its properties through this process, providing the temperatures are not too high and the process is controlled.
Is the honey pasteurised?
No, for the honey to be pasteurised during the heating process, it would have to reach more than 80ºC. During our process to filter the honey, the temperature reached never exceeds 35/40ºC.
Why are there so many varieties of honey?
Honey comes in a variety of forms, depending on the source of the flower, or shrub and area of harvest.
For example, rosemary honey (from rosemary flowers), orange blossom honey (from orange tree flowers), etc. There are spring honeys (end of May), main honey (between June and July) and late honey (between August and September). They can also be differentiated by multifloral honeys (diverse flowers), monofloral honeys (composed of a specific flower) and forest honeys (obtained from leaves).
How can you tell what plants were foraged for the honey?
Depending on the flower or the flowers used by the bees to collect the nectar, this will be impregnated with pollen from the actual flowers. The pollen analysis will determine which honey it is. Experts can also differentiate honey from the aroma and flavour.
What is the difference between creamed honey and liquid honey?
The benefits and characteristics of creamed honey are the same as those of liquid honey; the only difference is that it does not undergo the heating process for homogenisation or filtering, instead, it is creamed in drums with a machine called Helimiel and packaged directly into the recipient, emulsifying all the aromas and flavours.
Is thick or crystallised honey more natural than liquid honey?
The only difference between thick honey and liquid honey is the texture. Crystallisation is a natural process and honey can be liquefied, if so required, in a bain-marie. Lots of factors influence this process, but the most important is the honey composition: not all honeys contain the same amount of sugars; those with more glucose, crystallise first, since the sugar is less soluble in water, those with more fructose, crystallize less.
What is pollen?
Pollen is the male element of flowers, collected by bees and mixed by them with the nectar, forming little balls, which the beekeeper then collects.
What is royal jelly?
Royal jelly is a white or pale yellow substance, which is slightly tart and secreted from the glands in the hypopharynx of working bees and fed to all larvae in the beehive during the first three days, except those chosen to be queens, which shall be fed royal jelly for their entire lives.
What is propolis?
It is known as a natural antibiotic made by honeybees to protect themselves. It is widely used to prevent and treat respiratory infections. It is advisable for sore and sensitive throats. It can be used in dermatology to treat surface wounds.
What is the difference between light honey and dark honey?
The flavour is different, since light honey is milder in taste and dark honey is stronger. Light honey varieties are from more central and southern areas, while dark honeys are from the north and mountain regions of the peninsula.
Which is the best honey for colds?
Eucalyptus honey is mostly recommended for respiratory problems, bronchitis, flu and colds.
Are all your honey varieties from your own beehives?
No, apart from the honeys obtained from our beehives, we also buy from other beekeepers from other areas in which our beehives are not located.
What is the difference between conventional honey and organic honey?
“Organic honey” is defined as a honey obtained in wild flowering plants or agricultural land certified as organic. The beehives are managed in accordance with an established protocol that does not allow the use of products that were not already located in the natural environment, only local breeds can be worked… A certifying company carries out controls on the location of the beehives, the management of these and the quality of the products obtained. If the honey passes all these controls, it is certified as organic honey. Conventional honey is produced from wildflowers and conventional crops. The beehives are managed in accordance with good beekeeping practices and the controls carried out on these by the beekeeper and experts specialising in the area. Honey controls are carried out by the beekeeping company that produces it and the company that packages and sells the honey.
Where are your honeys from?
Buleo Miel only sells honeys from Spain, with the exception of the Acacia and Tilo honey, the origin of which is either Hungary or Romania.
How do we know if the honey we are buying is pure?
Only a certified laboratory analysis can guarantee the purity of honey. Therefore, it is advisable to buy a trusted brand of honey, such as our “Las Obreras” and “Mellarius” brands and it is very important to look at the origin of the honey.
Our environmental setting is one of the richest in flowering species of all the inland regions, both in terms of quantity and quality, which is an essential aspect for producing the finest quality honey, as well as rosemary, thyme and lavender honey.
Buleo Miel Management