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1. Honey production
1.1 Honey-producing insects and foraging behavior
Honey is produced by various genera of Hymenoptera, most often in quantities just sufficient to feed their larvae (polistes wasps, some types of ants...) and, very frequently, mixed with pure pollen and agglomerated into balls, thus making the "bee bread" on which an egg is laid (solitary bees, such as Megachilidae: Megachila, Osmia, Xylocopa...). Only certain social Apidae produce sufficient honey to feed the brood (Bombus, Trigonini...), but few species can be reared in hives (Melipona, Apis).
Bees live in virtually all closed biotopes (forests, oases) or open ones (plains, savannahs), and in all climates with the exception of the polar regions.
In Europe,...
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Honey production
Characteristics of honeybees' honeys obtained by centrifugation
Bibliography
References
- (1) - RAMEAU (J.C.), MANSION (D.), DUMÉ (G.) - Flore forestière française. Guide écologique illustré - . Institut pour le développement forestier, ministère de l'Agriculture et de la Pêche, 3 vol., t. 1, Plaines et collines, 1786 p. (1989) ; t. 2, Montagnes, 2421 p. (1994) ; t. 3, Zones méditerranéennes (en préparation)....
Internet addresses
Apimondia [http://www.apimondia.org]
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations): [http://www.fao.org]
Organizations
French trade associations
Associations pour le développement de l'apiculture provençale(ADAPI) : http://www.cnda.asso.fr/ et Syndicat de promotion des miels de Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Chambre syndicale nationale du miel : http://perso.club-internet.fr/
...Specialized laboratories
French laboratories specializing in honey analysis
Laboratories accredited for physico-chemical analyses, palynological studies can be carried out by the first two centers listed below as well as by all specialized or non-specialized research laboratories where this discipline is practiced (e.g. botany, ecology, paleobotany, geology, geography laboratories...): AFSSA:
Legislation
It aims to regulate the sale of a quality product. Several decrees are regularly published in the Journal Officiel. In addition, the EEC and AFNOR standards recommend stricter quality regulations than those currently in force.
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Current regulations based on the directives of the Council of the European Communities of July 22, 1974 on the harmonization of the laws of the Member...
Standardization
The quality of honeys marketed in France should comply with French AFNOR standards (NF V 35-001: Miels. Spécifications) dated September 1990, (2nd edition, leaflet 1991), drawn up in accordance with the above-mentioned Decree 77-717 of 22/07/1976 and controlled by official color analysis methods using the Pfund color grader or the Lovibond visual comparator. However, among the required standards, it is recommended that...
Honey quality and labels
Depending on their origin, honeys fall into three categories:
honeys entitled to a certificate ;
monofloral (= unifloral) honeys ;
all-flower honeys (multi- or polyfloral).
At the request of beekeepers (a voluntary act), various specifications...
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