🐝🍯 and discuss...

[AsAProfessionalFekko]

I thought it was getting quite educational - crumpets, bees, toast, hornets, newts...

He also has the besterest English of the higherest level. Fact. Much smarterer than us girlz and had a milionty degrees and everything.

I was in awe.

I've been stung by an Hornet (not a euphemism) in Spain.
Is this relevant or should I get my coat?

So why was that thread pulled? Has the mod policy shifted from "don't be nasty to trans activists, they may threaten our advertisers" to "don't be nasty to random sexist blokes who show up to troll either"?

I guess there is a significant overlap.

And fudge is evil. Only surpassed in boakiness by tablet.

I suppose they deleted the thread because we were too mean to the misogynist OP.

It that wasn't a fair fight. I think a dead wasp could have won.

The dead wasp on the rug did win because it turned out not to be dead. Tricksey wasp.

I have some lovely raw polish forest honey in my cupboard. It's not the runny sort though. I spread it on my toast.

I think the thing with de-runnied hunny is you have to make sure you get all the crystals or it just starts over again. Something is tickling my mind about a bit of water being a good idea

Yes - I think honey is essentially a supersaturated sugar solution. Any small crystals will nucleate regrowth, but diluting a bit will make it less saturated and so less liable to crystallise.

So: ants.

They farm aphids and 'milk' them to obtain their sugary secretions.

Also, butter must be slathered on to toast before any topping is applied

And it must be proper best butter. Not (urghhh) spread (urghhh)

I suppose they deleted the thread because we were too mean to the misogynist OP.

No, the deletion message said it was because he was clearly just here to goad, and he's been banned. Nowt to do with our response to him was mentioned. I would guess MNHQ doesn't mind the tea and lack of sympathy approach to GFs at all.

Can someone tell me the difference between bumble bees and normal bees.

I had this conversation with my daughter. Neither of us knew the purpose of a bumble bee, other than to look cute.

Bit like us girlz...

Who was the poster who once woke up clutching a dead wasp in her fist?

Gin Is it really dark? I know forest honey as being almost like treacle and for hardcore honey enthusiasts only.

Speaking of honey, has anyone tried the manuka kind? Very good for your health, apparently. Smells distinctly medicinal and is eye wateringly expensive.

Noooo. Surely everyone knows that wasps make marmalade!

There is also a bizarre thing called a hornet hoverfly which I discovered last summer as I thought to my horror there was a hornet sitting on a leaf by the door. It's massive (nearly 3cm long!) but looked like a cartoon version of a hornet rather than an actual hornet when you looked closely. And it didn't sting or get angry while I took photos which was another plus! Doesn't make any sort of honey or marmalade or marmite though...

Bumble bees are solitary and make nests in soil, holes in wood, and apparently crumpets. They pollinate plants and bumble about. Honey bees live in massive colonies and work their bee socks off making honey.

Plus, it's very important you eat it quickly, or it grows this floating mould which the internet is unhelpful about the safety of (as I discovered when I peered into the kirkland maple syrup jug in the fridge once....)

Maple syrup doesn’t last long enough to go mouldy in our house. I am dredging something out of my memory, possibly unreliable, but I think you can boil maple syrup to get shot of the mould. It is alo OK in the freezer IIRC because it doesn’t freeze due to the high sugar content.

I like that Aldi sell Manuka Style honey.

What about pikelets?

Turns out I’m not such a scabby cook:

According to the Massachusetts Maple Producers Association, unopened maple syrup will keep indefinitely, but it must be refrigerated once opened. As for mold, the MMPA says, "If any harmless mold should form on the surface, merely bring the syrup to a slight boil, skim the surface, and pour into a clean container and refrigerate." We haven't tried this ourselves, and are reluctant to recommend it unless you know exactly what kind of mold you have and whether it is truly harmless. Do any of our readers have experience with this?

www.thekitchn.com/maple-syrup-does-it-ever-spoil-102784

manuka honey - yes, have tried it. got it from costco so not quite so eyewateringly expensive, had a spoon a day to try to help not get coughs and colds, seemed to work quite well.

Also spanned the time that I got pregnant with ds2... seemed to help with morning sickness in that I wasn't as sick at the start of my pregnancy as I was with ds1 but when I realised and people started saying about not having honey when pregnant I gave it up. Morning sickness came on hard and fast and remained for most of the rest of the pregnancy... totally miserable. If I had another dc, I'd certainly try to carry on taking the honey to see if it made a difference (even if it was just a boost of sugar at that time of the morning rather than the manuka-ness of it!) because the difference was so noticeable. Having said that, no idea if it is supposed to help with this or not, or if it was just a co-incidental chance thing!

And from the same link:

In addition to refrigerating opened maple syrup, the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers' Association recommends storing unopened maple syrup in a cool place. For long term storage, the Association says that maple syrup retains its flavor best when kept in the freezer (it will not freeze solid).

StillTasty.com indicates that 100 percent pure maple syrup should keep for a year unopened in the pantry, a year opened in the refrigerator, and indefinitely in the freezer.

I like that Aldi sell Manuka Style honey.

So all of the "am I eating Vicks?" and none of the health benefits?

There's another thread all about bees in chat at the moment, I passed on the info I learned last night about not giving them honey.

I have heard (don't know if it's accurate) that more 'manuka honey' is sold in the UK than the entire output from New Zealand.