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20         The Portugal News · 21 Nov 2020          Green Section                     brought to you by

      Pub.



         Going




         Green





         It’s week eleven of the Portugal News’
         “Going Green” series…
         … As a responsible thriving renewables company,
         we’re increasing efforts in awareness. Not just for
         our solutions, but the local and regional Algarve
         environment.




















      Bee World


        Bees are constantly in mortal danger. Consider their habitat.
      Much of it is being eroded on a daily basis. Not necessarily
      here, in Portugal, but in many other countries. In 2004, some
      will remember the lethal predatory wasps (type Vespa Veluti-   Honey Variety                                    Honey Facts
      na) that swarmed in from Asia. They killed bees in the busiest
      month, August. Don’t forget the series of fires, in 2012, 2017   Here in the Algarve we are fortunate. There are around
      and 2018 which destroyed huge land-tracts and flowers. Never   1,000 apiarists who have around 100,000 hives. Impor-
                                                                                                          World beekeeping day is May 20, as designated by the
      mind the harmful pesticides – or the monoculture where   tantly, due to the Algarve’s remote areas and wild terrain,
                                                                                                          U.N.
      the same crop is grown yearly. And the rising threat of water   this helps the bees. The best producers will also move their
      shortage and drought.                            hives to certain areas and at different times. This helps   •  Beekeeping is an ancient tradition.
                                                       their bees produce many different flavours like lavender,
                                                                                                            •  The honey bee is the only insect that produces
        Disasters on the land take years to recover. And bee colonies   rosemary, carob and orange blossom. If honey contains
                                                                                                             food eaten by man
      are very delicate. Up to 60,000 bees makes a colony. But   more than 18% pollen of the same flower, it’s considered
      there’s only one Queen which develops when female workers   mono-floral.                              •  A beehive produces up to 11 kilos of honey
      bees pick a particular larva and feed it Royal Jelly. This ensures                                    •  Honey is 80% sugar and 20% water
      she becomes fertile and can produce eggs to make more bees.   Getting Your Honey
      A Queen can live for a few years and is serviced by the males.                                        •  Honey never spoils
      This is her role and she is fiercely protected by the colony. And   Most honey bought in supermarkets is the mass-produced
                                                                                                          Portugal produces some of the finest honey in the
      no surprises the workers are all female!         processed variety. But those willing to travel a little can still
                                                                                                          world. Try your local farmers market. The town of
                                                       buy the artisanal stuff. Many beekeepers don’t advertise ex-
      Honey Production                                 actly where they keep their hives. That’s because bee theft is   Loulé has a superb Saturday market with some excel-
                                                                                                          lent sellers. Links to help you get started…
                                                       on the rise. But some of the very best honey comes from the
        During summer, worker bees collect pollen and make   Serras. This is due to the large variety of flowers and blossom   https://catavino.net/the-undiscovered-sweet-
      honey. They fly 5-6 miles, reaching speeds of 15 miles per   found there.                           ness-of-portuguese-honey/
      hour, and visit between 50 to 100 flowers per trip. A good                                          https://www.wildabouthoney.co.uk/
      hive can produce up to 11 kilos of honey. To calm the bees   Other product
      they are “relaxed” with smoke. The bees are then left with                                          https://en.algarvetreasures.pt/honeytour
      enough honey and they stay with the hive. Next the frames   Let’s not forget that the industrious bee produces wax –
                                                                                                          https://www.portugalvineyards.com/en/blog/
      are carefully removed, trimmed or centrifuged after taking   where the best furniture polish is made from. Then there are
                                                                                                          the-portuguese-wild-honey-from-alentejo-and-al-
      the lids off the combs. The honey needs to settle for a day. In   candles. It also finds its way into cosmetics, lip balm, vinegar
                                                                                                          garve-n1237
      this state, it is “raw”, so unheated, untreated and unprocessed.  and liquors.
                                                                                                          https://americanbeejournal.com/tiposlinks/fun-facts/
                                                                                                          https://www.honeyassociation.com/about-honey/
                                                                                                          honey-trivia
                                Swiss renewable project investor EKZ Renewable has commissioned its biggest wind park
              Portugal         in Portugal to date, the 20-MW Parque Eólico de Marvila (PESMA II) wind farm. Located
          Renewable            near Fatima, it will produce about 70 GWh of power a year – that’s enough to supply 17,000   Next Week:
                  News         Swiss homes. The farm has six turbines with rotor diameters of 126 metres (413 ft), which   Eco Village
                               makes them the biggest in EKZ Renewable’s portfolio in Portugal. EKZ Renewable has so
                               far invested in five wind parks in Portugal.
                                                                                                                   For more information
                                                                                                          WWW.CASAVERDE-INT.COM
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