Howdy all!

We are Urs & Izzy hobby beekeepers in Zurich

Our bees live in a very cozy beecottage in Witikon, between the forest & the cemetery, and render superbe blossom honey in spring, and amazingly tasty forest honey in summer. It is not just us who say it, also our usual 'honey-bears', (the children of our usual customers)

We have 8 colonies of lovely bees (well, 7 lovely colonies, and one -- there is always a black sheep in all the families) and limited production of honey.

Our honey is 100% artisanal! From the managing of the bees, to the labels!
Normally, we sell it on the street food-market, but this year it is not possible, so we have still some honey left.

In case you want to encourage regional production, improve the environment (we are eco-driven), try real Swiss honey, speak about bees for a while, or run out of ideas as Xmas presents, or, as they say in German...you feel... Weihnachtgesechktideenloss (no, they don't say that, I just invented it, but i'm very proud that i managed to put the word together on my half German )

Well, so, coming back to the subject - if you would like to get

100% raw natural blossom honey (solid)
or
100% raw forest honey (fluid),

it will be our pleasure to serve you.

If you live in Zurich (city), we deliver for free and ecologically -i.e. on my bike, with a smile. These days, with a frozen smile. But hey, that's life of a busy bee in winter....

Just let me know if you are interested, here, or send me a private message.
We will bee looking forward hearing from you!
Sweet regards

Izzy the busy Bee

Any chance of getting the prices?

hi Ato,
i was not sure if i could put prices here... that's why they were not in the post. Of course, price is

500g = 15 CHF,
250 g = 10 CHF.

Free delivery in Zurich city :-)
The rest... depends on what the SwissPost charges for a pack.

the pots, of course, come with a label, and the number of pot (as it is 'limited series')

Very interesting.... :-)
What is the difference between 100% raw natural blossom honey (solid)
and 100% raw forest honey (fluid) besides the solid/fluid. Curious to know more and happy to purchase as well... :-)

Hi logo123, oh (wo)man! This is the million dollar question
differences between blossom and forest honey, is like differences between white & red wine, in a nutshell (wine connaisseurs, shoot here)

actually, there is even bigger differences, because the sources are different! (for wine, it is always grapes), for flower vs forest honey, well, the source is vegetal, or animal Yes, indeed.

BLOSOM HONEY
In spring, bees are farmers - the Blossom (flower) honey is obtained from the nectar of flowers, through the bee catabolism (that's why vegans don't eat honey). Flower honey is delicate, with bouquet of the flowers from which the nectar is collected (famous are in Switzerland, chestnut from Ticino, or in Spain, azahar, for example). It contains (at least the 'raw' honey, from the beekeper) pollen, so it is recommended by doctors for allergy-sufferers, (if you want more, ask me). Because of the mix of molecules, it usually cristalizes or becomes solid within 6 months. It is usally light in colour, and has lower conducitivity. It is perfect for teas and lemonades, and for light, soft cheeses -- so you can enjoy the sweetness and delicacy, without overpowering. If you want to know more, I am attaching here down a .pdf -- it is on my Urs&Izzy blog, also

FOREST HONEY
In summer, or when there is no nectar available, the bees turn to the forest, and become ranchers - Forest honey is obtained from 'milking' insects that eat the sap of the trees, through the bee catabolism (so that would be a double wham for vegans). Forest honey is dark in colour, strong in taste and bouquet, with aromas of musk, forest, bark and wild. The mix of molecules (sucrose, glucose) is also different, it has higher conductivity, and that is why it is fluid (and cristalizes slowly (after a year, if it does). Forest honey is better used for accompanying strong, cured or blue cheeses, for roasts and to make (or over) dark bread

If you want to know more about forest honey, I'm attaching also a second .pdf, so you see more details , i hope the attachments are allowed by the moderator... you can also find them on our blog (in English). Look for Urs&Izzy Imker o Urs&Izzy beekepers

If you have read until here... thank you! I hope it was of interest. Any more questions, happy to answer!

the attachments for
BLOSOM HONEY
FOREST HONEY

(sorry i was not sure they would go through with such a long message)
ah! to all Native English speakers.... this is a pre-emptying apology and disclaimer...I am not a native )

Attached Files

	Newsletter 2020_03 English.pdf (333.9 KB, 31 views)
	Newsletter 2020_04 English.pdf (408.5 KB, 25 views)

Do you have any fresh honey comb?

Yes, we do. Very little.

We have exactly 8 little packs of blossom & forest combhoney of about 200 - 300g combhoney for 'presents' in nice boxes made of wood. We made them for people who want to 'initiate' in eating combhoney (which, as you know, even if it is the natural thing to do, it is not what people do usually), price is depending on weight, between, 25 - 30 CHF.

For combhoney (unframed, fully wild), we 'take orders' from one season to the next!

This is how combhoney boxes look....

Great info! Thanks.

Is it actually milking = do those insects survive the process?

Yes, of course, the aphids (those little sap-eating insects) are NOT harmed.

Bee-aphids secrete honeydew, and that is what the bees collect, that is why I called it milking. There is no harm to anybody.

There are a lot of types of aphids, but the ones producing honeydew live happily on conifers (cedars, cypresses, firs, junipers, kauris, larches, pines, redwoods, spruces,), eating their sap. That's why forest honey tastes stronger, with reminiscence of pine forest...

Bees, in that respect, are mere 'milkmaids' there are other animals, like ants, who become real ranchers of their own their aphids, managing them like livestock....

Now...if you have a weak stomach, I would not recommend to look for 'aphid' ...or you will break your romance with honey....

I know, they kept them on my roses so I had two problems: The aphids and the ants. After the second summer I decided, there is not much point in fighting nature and stopped planting roses.

Perfecto. Please count me in for one of each.... :-)

ahhhh!!! that's why you asked if they 'harmed' the insects! very clever
unfortunately on the competition ant <> bee.... interestingly, bees loose you can see it here: https://www.jstor.org/stable/43495124?seq=1
nevertheless, if you haven't, you can always try these other natural methods.... https://www.almanac.com/pest/aphids .

Still, the ecosystem (in the forest) has a natural equilibrium -- without these small insects, on bad years (like 2019, with terrible weather conditions for nectar / blossom), bees would be wiped out over winter, with no reserves....

How do I go about purchasing some honey comb, while you have it?

...i found your online store.

... and then instagram

I will PM you with my details, thank you!

Can you also sent to Geneva? Im not sure if the jar will survive the journey!

Ciao Gata,
yes, of course we can send to Geneva the pot would be bubble-wrapped, of course!

I will PM you, and also with another source of 'direct from the beekeeper', very close to Geneva, in case you prefer to visit them (tell them their friend from Zurich sends you)

You appear to be a very nice guy. I wish you good luck in your endeavours, which sadly I won’t be able to partake. As a T1 diabetic I have to avoid honey. But I will recommend you to some honey-lovers that I know.

A more eco-friendly option, for sure. We have some local honey producers who I like to support, the thought of getting individual jars sent all the way from Zurich when I have a local option doesn't quite seem... right.

Hello guys & gals, just a quick note to tell you that the latest newsletter of the year is now uploaded into the blog of our website (look for Urs & Izzy beekeepers).

Short topics about: Bees in history, why bees are so cool they don't follow the pattern of 'fight or flee', why you cannot eat bumblebee honey, a little bio on the most famous and incredible bee-naturalist in Switzerland, among others... check it out and let me know

happy to hear your comments
Cheers

p.s. the newsletter is bimonthly and I try to gather curiosities and interesting facts for a 20 minutes read