Weydon honey wins First Prize

Weydon School received First Prize in the Farnham Honey Show run by FBKA (Farnham beekeepers) for an ‘outstanding Honey Frame’.

Weydon bees have been making their own honey for 3 years now under the expert guidance of Science teacher - and beekeeper - Mrs Sellers, with jars sold to the Weydon community.

The bees are an invaluable educational resource, enabling pupils to explore scientific principles through real-world examples of pollination, biodiversity and ecosystem interdependence. The project also supports their environmental aims, encouraging the creation of wildlife-friendly areas around the school for all pollinators while exploring current issues such as the impact of the yellow-legged hornet now found in the UK.

A show frame of honey must be clean, uniformly filled and capped, free of any imperfections like pollen or granulation, and displayed in a clean, transparent, bee-proof case. The frame is judged on presentation, quality of the comb, and the honey itself.

Key criteria for a prize-winning show frame include:

• Capping's: Capping's should be consistently white or as pale as possible, uniform and flat across the frame's surface, with no signs of weeping or dampness.

• Uniformity and Fullness: The comb should be well-filled with very few, if any, uncapped cells around the edges.

• Cleanliness: The wooden frame itself must be scraped clean of any excess wax and propolis, and the entire exhibit should be free of any dust, dirt, pollen, or general debris.

• Honey Quality: The honey within the comb must be liquid (not crystallized) and uniform in colour, which judges often check by shining a strong light through the frame.