It pays to test your honey
Honey is an all-natural product with some real health benefits. So it’s easy to forget that it can, occasionally, pose risks to our health. In New Zealand, the blooms and plants the bees gather from can change the nature of the honey – tutin-contaminated honey is a dangerous poison, while manuka honey has proven health benefits. That’s why commercial honey has to be tested before being put on the market – to avoid false advertising or adverse health effects.
While there’s no testing requirement for hobby keepers, we still think it’s a smart idea to get into the testing habit.
Here’s why:
1. Potential toxins
When honey is contaminated by tutin, it becomes toxic and can be deadly to humans and animals.
Tutin is a plant toxin found in the tutu plant, or Coriaria arborea, which was accidentally introduced from Australia. The plant grows throughout the North Island and in the top third of the South Island, and is usually found on river banks or disused areas of land.
The contamination process is somewhat complicated: Scolypopa insects, also known as passion vine hoppers, feed on the tutu plant and produce honeydew that contains tutin. They deposit this on the branches of the plants, and it’s then collected by honeybees. When this happens, the tutin ends up in the honey they produce, contaminating it.
Deaths and close calls
Before 1920, there were 30 deaths (that we know about) caused by people eating tutin-contaminated honey in New Zealand. Thanks to improved medical care, there haven’t been any fatalities since then, but there have been some serious incidents. Most recently, a commercial beekeeper in Whakatane harvested his honey and had a small taste straight from the bucket. He woke up on the floor two days later after severe poisoning. In another recent case, a group of school children in England were eating breakfast when half of them had seizures as a result of eating New Zealand honey that hadn’t been tested for tutin.
Testing times
The tutu plant flowers from January to April, making this period riskier for honey harvesting. Because of this risk, testing is now required for all commercial honey produced in New Zealand after December 31st. If you’re a hobbyist beekeeper, you do not have to have your honey tested – but if you plan to eat it, give it away or barter with others, you don’t want to risk serious illness or death, so it’s well worth the effort.
2. Manuka levels
Manuka honey is a high-value product both in New Zealand and overseas. So, it’s no surprise that some producers over the years have exaggerated or falsified the manuka levels in their honey to maximise their profits. To protect the integrity of the New Zealand honey market, the Ministry for Primary Industries has introduced strict standards, making sure only honey that has been tested and certified as manuka can be labelled and sold as such.
If your hives are close to manuka plants, chances are your honey will have some level of manuka. This would allow you to sell your honey for a higher price commercially, so it always pays to know the exact level. If you’re only harvesting for personal use, you might want to test anyway – it’s interesting to know what manuka properties your honey holds, and gives you much more bartering power with the neighbours.
Testing doesn’t have to be a hassle
Up until now, testing has been a time-consuming task. Beekeepers have had to buy testing tools, collect samples, send them away, wait for results and then compile them manually. This could add up to weeks of waiting and effort before taking your honey to market.
Now, Ecrotek has found a better way. By partnering with expert honey tester Gribbles Scientific, which has been testing honey for over a decade, we’ve created a quicker, simpler method of testing for tutin or manuka levels in your honey.
User-friendly honey testing with Humm
Humm makes testing quick and simple. Sign up online through our Humm portal and choose your tests. We will send sample bottles, labels and a pre-paid courier bag, so you can easily collect and send your honey samples. No need to go to the post office – you can just call for pick up. Once we have completed the tests on your product, the results will immediately appear online for you to see and use as needed.
One happy Humm customer from Alpine Honey told us, “It’s so user-friendly. Drop and drag, simple to use, and avoids ambiguity and mistakes.” It’s designed to get you the results you need, so you can sell safe, effective honey without the hassle.
Want to learn more about testing honey with Humm? Take a look at our case studies now and view the pricelist here.