Bee Μuseum Rhodes | 3-ΑΡΧΙΚΗ-EN

The Honey

What makes honey unsurpassed is the coexistence of more than 180 elements with unique properties directly related to metabolism and growth in a harmonious whole.

Honey is considered the most quick natural source of energy and wellness for humans.

Honey categories

Why do we have many types of honey?

On which factors do their characteristics depend?

There are two general types of honey according to the raw material used by bees:

Pure Greek varieties: thyme, heather, orange, cotton, sunflower, etc.

1) Honey from flower nectar. Its color is light, it has an intense aroma, and crystallizes relatively quickly

2) Honeydew honey from herbal or animal origin (secretions by insects which are parasitic on trees). It is darker, more viscous and less sweet than flower honey. It crystallizes or it doesn’t crystallize at all.

Pure Greek Varieties: Pine, Fir

Types of honey, organoleptic properties (taste, aroma, color, fluidity) and physicochemical (moisture, PH, conductivity, etc) depend entirely on:

The herbal originof nectar or honeydews
The geographical area
The weather conditions

When these factors change, honey properties change too.

The honey types of Rhodes and the Dodecanese

Thyme honey: is considered as honey of great quality

Herbal origin: Thyme

Harvest: July- August

Annual yield per cell beehive: 5kg

Taste: Unique, full taste, with strong aftertaste

Aroma: Pleasantly intense, reveals the smell of thymol

Color: Light, bright

Pine honey: it is considered as honey of high nutritional value, rich in trace minerals

Herbal origin: Pine

Harvest: Twice a year. Spring and Autumn

Annual yield per beehive: 20 kg

Taste: Due to low concentration of sucrose, it is not so sweet

Aroma: D istinctive light resin and iodine scent

Color: Dark. Spring pine honey is lighter and clearer than pine honey produced in autumn

Heather honey: The honey type with the highest content in phenols

Herbal origin: Autumn heather

Harvest: End of autumn

Annual yield per beehive: 10 kg

Taste: Full taste with aromatic notes of bitter caramel, slightly bitterish

Aroma: Soft earthy scent of heather blossom

Color: Red-copper shade, which turns into caramel color when it crystallizes

Which is the best honey?

The nutritional value of honey

The nutritional value of all types of honey is very high (with little variation). It is a matter of taste mainly.

The price of honey is not a criterion of quality. It depends mainly on the production cost and the demand.

“Any type of honey is 1000 times better than any other sweetener (sugar, maltitol, aspartame, etc.)” (our quote)

What is the crystallization of honey

Does honey spoil when it crystallizes?

When honey crystallizes uniformly it doesn’t spoil, it may remain at this state for years.

Why is honey from Rhodes one of the best in the world?

Thyme Honey of Dodecanese “THAVMA THEON”

1. The vegetation of the island is wild and self-seeded. Over 400 bee plants have been recorded. All mountains are full of herbs, wildflowers and coniferous trees such as thyme, rosemary, oregano, heather, pine etc. All these offer honey a high nutritional value and excellent taste.

2. Rhodes has an excellent climate and long-lasting sunshine period (Island of the Sun). It is therefore ideal place for bees to work.

Did you know?

…that the honey with the most taste awards in the world originates from our islands?

Why we should add honey in our daily breakfast?

Did you know? It is the only sweetener and the only nutritionally complete food ready for use that nature gives. Also, the most beneficial and popular food since the beginning of human history.

What makes honey unsurpassed is the coexistence of more than 180 elements with unique properties directly related to metabolism and growth in a harmonious whole.Honey is considered the most quick natural source of energy and wellness for humans.

For athletes:

Surveys show that honey is one of the most effective forms of carbohydrate, for the necessary “charging” of the trainee before training, not only because it is easily digested and released at a constant rate in the muscular system, but also because it increases muscle resistance, eliminates fatigue and restores glycogen. (Memphis University)

Pollination: Τhe greatest contribution of the bee to humans

The greatest usefulness of the bees is the pollination of the plants with which it contributes to the variety of the flora, the enrichment of the soil, the protection of the earth from the corrosion and generally in the sustainment of life on the planet.

Definition of the pollination: the transport of the mature pollen grains to the mature stigmata of the arpels to fertilize and generally reproduce the plants.

Pollination: Read more