How Native Irish Honey Bees Make Honey – And How the Beekeeper Harvests It
Native Irish Honey Bee Hives Located On Our Cloudforest Five Site
Ireland’s native honey bee, Apis mellifera mellifera, often called the Dark European honey bee, has been part of our landscape for thousands of years. Hardy, resilient, and beautifully adapted to Ireland’s cool, damp climate, these bees work tirelessly from spring through late summer to produce one of nature’s most remarkable foods: honey.
But how exactly do they make it? And how does a beekeeper carefully harvest that golden reward without harming the colony?
Let’s take a closer look inside the hive.
The Native Irish Honey Bee: Built for the Climate
The native Irish honey bee is darker and slightly smaller than many imported strains. What makes it special is its:
Excellent ability to survive long, wet winters
Strong resistance to harsh winds and cool temperatures
Efficient use of food stores
Calm temperament when well managed
Because Ireland’s weather can be unpredictable, these bees are especially good at taking advantage of short bursts of sunshine and nectar flow. When flowers bloom, they waste no time.
Step 1: Foraging – Collecting Nectar and Pollen
Honey production begins in the fields, hedgerows, gardens, and meadows.
Worker bees (all female) leave the hive to collect:
Nectar – a sugary liquid produced by flowers
Pollen – a protein source for feeding young bees
Using their long proboscis (tongue), bees suck nectar from flowers and store it in a special “honey stomach,” separate from their digestive stomach.
A single worker bee may visit 50–100 flowers per trip, and she may fly several kilometres in a day. To produce just one jar of honey, bees collectively fly the equivalent of several times around the earth.
Step 2: Turning Nectar into Honey
When the foraging bee returns to the hive, the transformation begins.
Regurgitation and Enzymes
The forager passes the nectar to a house bee through mouth-to-mouth exchange. During this process:
Enzymes are added to the nectar
Complex sugars are broken down into simpler sugars (mainly glucose and fructose)
This enzymatic change is crucial. It helps preserve the honey and gives it its long shelf life.
Step 3: Evaporation – Thickening the Honey
Fresh nectar contains about 70–80% water. Honey, however, contains only about 17–20% water.
To reduce the moisture content, bees:
Spread the nectar into hexagonal wax cells
Fan their wings vigorously to circulate air
Encourage evaporation inside the hive
This process thickens the nectar into honey. Once it reaches the right consistency, the bees seal the cell with a thin layer of wax. This is called “capping.”
At this stage, the honey is fully ripened and ready for storage.
Why Bees Make Honey
Honey is not made for us — it’s the bees’ winter survival food.
In Ireland, colonies may need 15–25 kg of honey to survive the winter months when flowers are scarce. The bees cluster together for warmth and slowly consume their stored honey to generate energy.
A responsible beekeeper always ensures the colony has enough reserves before taking any surplus.
Inside the Hive: The Beekeeper’s Role
Beekeeping is about partnership, not exploitation. A good beekeeper:
Monitors the health of the colony
Protects bees from disease and pests
Ensures adequate food stores
Provides suitable space for honey production
When nectar flows are strong (typically late spring to summer), bees may produce more honey than they need. This surplus is what the beekeeper harvests.
Step 1: Preparing for Extraction
Honey is usually harvested in late summer.
The beekeeper:
Inspects the hive
Identifies frames where honey cells are fully capped
Ensures enough honey remains for the bees
The honey is stored in removable wooden frames inside boxes called “supers.” These sit above the brood box, where the queen lays eggs.
To harvest honey:
The beekeeper gently removes the supers
Bees are carefully brushed off the frames
A bee escape board or light smoker may be used to move bees safely
The aim is always minimal stress to the colony.
Cloudforest One — Hergen the Beekeeper at work
Step 2: Uncapping the Honey
In a clean extraction room, the beekeeper:
Uses a heated knife or uncapping fork
Carefully removes the thin wax caps sealing each honey cell
This exposes the honey inside the comb.
The removed wax can later be cleaned and reused to make candles or cosmetics.
Step 3: Spinning the Honey Out
The uncapped frames are placed into a machine called a centrifugal extractor.
When spun:
Centrifugal force pulls the honey out of the comb
Honey flows down the sides of the extractor
It collects at the bottom
Importantly, the wax comb remains intact. This allows the beekeeper to return the frames to the hive so the bees can refill them — saving the bees enormous energy.
(Bees must consume around 6–8 kg of honey to produce 1 kg of wax, so preserving comb is vital.)
Step 4: Filtering and Settling
The extracted honey is:
Strained through a fine mesh to remove wax particles
Placed in a settling tank for several days
Air bubbles and tiny impurities rise to the top and are skimmed off.
The honey is not pasteurised in most small-scale Irish beekeeping operations, meaning it retains:
Natural enzymes
Local pollen
Unique flavour profiles
Step 5: Jarring the Honey
Once settled, the honey is:
Poured into sterilised jars
Sealed and labelled
The colour and flavour vary depending on the flowers available — clover, blackberry blossom, ivy, heather, and wildflowers all influence taste.
Irish honey often has a rich, floral depth reflecting hedgerows and native plants.
Hergen and the hives on Cloudforest one
A Sustainable Balance
Good beekeeping respects three key principles:
Never take all the honey
Support bee health year-round
Protect native Irish genetics
Many Irish beekeepers actively support conservation of the native Dark European bee, helping preserve its traits in a world where imported strains are common.
Why Local Irish Honey Matters
Beyond its taste, local honey:
Supports native pollinators
Encourages biodiversity
Strengthens local ecosystems
Connects people to seasonal rhythms
Each jar represents thousands of hours of coordinated work by tens of thousands of bees.
From Flower to Jar
The journey of Irish honey is extraordinary:
Flower → Nectar → Enzymes → Evaporation → Capped Honey → Careful Extraction → Your Table
Behind every spoonful lies a complex society, a partnership with a beekeeper, and the resilience of a native species perfectly suited to Ireland’s land.
Next time you taste local Irish honey, you’re tasting not just sweetness — but the landscape itself.
