Beverley
Beekeepers' Association
The
local Beekeeping Association for East
Yorkshire
Borage
Honey
East Yorkshire is particularly fortunate that for the last
ten years or so borage has been grown by a considerable
number of farmers. You may well have seen the fields of
blue flowers from late June until early August.
Borage (Borago
officianalis)
is grown for its small black seeds which are harvested and
crushed to make borage oil, or starflower oil, which has
similar properties to evening primrose oil. The oil is very
valuable and farmers and beekeepers have a mutually
beneficial relationship; we get lots of honey and farmers
get increased yields as their flowers are pollinated by our
bees.
Beekeepers travel with their bees from far afield but we
are lucky as the fields are often within flying range of
our apiaries or, if not, it’s not too far to take them. If
the summer is particularly hot, a hive of bees can collect
prodigious quantities of honey from the borage. Farmers
like one hive for every acre so that there are sufficient
bees to pollinate all the flowers. A large number of bees
is necessary as each of the flowers opens for just one day.
It’s a wonderful sight (and sound) with the bees working
flat out from dawn till dusk.
Borage honey, with its very distinctive clear appearance,
has a subtle aromatic aroma and has rapidly become a
favourite honey in this area.