Beverley
Beekeepers' Association
The
local Beekeeping Association for East
Yorkshire
Heather
Honey
In
the late summer the North Yorkshire Moors are a picture
with heather in full bloom. This provides local beekeepers
with their last harvest of the season. There are two main
types of heather plants growing on the moors; the earlier
flowering bell heather (Erica
species)
and ling (Caluna
vulgaris)
which flowers in August and September. It is the ling which
produces the famous strong tasting dark brown honey with a
gelled consistency and entrapped air bubbles. The moors are
very popular and beekeepers travel great distances to let
their bees forage the heather. Moving hives of bees this
far and fetching them back a few weeks later can be
fraught. And the moors, even in August, can suffer poor
weather with especially cold nights so heather honey crops
are rarely substantial.
The jelly-like consistency of heather honey makes it
difficult to remove from the honeycomb and special
techniques are needed. This difficulty in harvesting,
transport, and small yields mean that heather honey
commands a higher price than all other local
honeys.