Secrets of honey from our apiary

20 January 2022

A few months ago, an apiary was set up in the Centre for Advanced Materials and Technology (CEZAMAT). We obtained the first batch of Rector’s Honey thanks to the work of bees and a beekeeper who looks after the apiary.

Our apiary consists of 3 hives and is inhabited by about 75,000 bees. They are dealt with by Łukasz Boruc, PhD Eng. – beekeeper and scientist from the Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering at the Warsaw University of Technology. Thanks to a special camera, that has been installed nearby the hives, the bee family can be monitored 24 hours a day. Live streaming on Politechnika Warszawska channel on YouTube.

The apiary was established as part of the University’s Participatory Budget. The project was submitted by Daria Grzesiek, responsible for promotion at the IDUB Project Office. Students, PhD students and employees liked the idea and the project was selected for implementation.

After months of work, the first “sweet effects” appeared! We’ve collected about 15 kg of honey. Additionally our scientists have analysed the composition!

Report prepared by Marta Rogalska and Monika Staniszewska, Professor at WUT, showed that the honey is slightly acidic (pH = 5.41), and the free acidity meets legal requirements (it is 11.4 mval / kg of honey, the maximum allowable level is 50 mval / kg).

The honey does not contain starch (the result of tests using a solution of iodine in potassium iodide) and is not fermented (observation with a fluorescence microscope).

Our honey should be described as multi-flower. It is dominated by pollen of Taraxacum officinale (36%) and Cynoglossum officinale (30%). The sunflower (15%) and the daisy (9%) share is significant. The research also showed the presence of cherries, quince, linden, buckwheat, hazel and black locust. An inverted light microscope (magnification 400x) was used for the analysis of the composition.

This is what our honey looks like under the microscope. In the top row – centrifuged honey, in the bottom row – fixed honey. Photo by Maciej Trzaskowski

Rector’s Honey, as the name suggests, is at the disposal of professor Krzysztof Zaremba, the Rector of the Warsaw University of Technology, who presents it to his guests and passes it on to special events, such as the WUT Christmas Fair or the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity.

Source: https://www.pw.edu.pl/Aktualnosci/Tajemnice-miodu-z-naszej-pasieki

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