In spring bees start by collecting pollen from willows until the first spring flowers like wood anemone start to blossom, when bees can find nectar as well. When dandelions start to bloom it is a busy time for bees, as all the fruit trees are also in blossom. Following the fruit tree blossom there is a quiet period of three weeks when the bees are waiting for the raspberry plants to flower.

In an exceptional year bees find honeydew. You can find out more about this here: honeydew honey

At the end of July the bees are transported to the heather pasture. Summer honey is harvested before the bees are moved, so the hives are almost empty. Bees stay in the pasture for about a month and if the weather is good the hives will be full of pure heather honey, which is a real delicacy.

In the heather pasture we have electric fencing around the hives to protect them from bears, which can destroy all the hives in one night.

Norwegian Honey Center: http://www.honningcentralen.no/

Norwegian Beekeepers' Associaton:  http://www.norbi.no/

Finnish Beekeepers' Association: http://www.hunaja.net/

Swedish Beekeepers' Association : http://www.biodlarna.se/

British Beekeepers' Association: http://www.bbka.org.uk/