A stone's throw from Hammerfjeld Gård, where Heidi raises her geese, we visited Siv and Jon Kristian, beekeepers for 9 years in Fannrem, south of Orkanger. They too, like Heidi and her husband, are members of the "Taste of Orkland" producer group. They have a store on the farm, in which they sell their honey, but also products from other farms in the group. Unsurprisingly, we found quail eggs from Hammerfjeld Gård!
Siv and Jon Kristian are two passionate beekeepers who own a small production of 30 beehives. Their honey production is not their main salary, as both work full time in addition to beekeeping. Jon Kristian explains: “If we wanted to make a living from beekeeping, we would need 400 beehives!". Siv and Jon Kristian produce an average of one ton of honey per year (a beehive produces 30 to 40 kg per year), which they sell at the farm store, but also from hotels and restaurants in the Orkanger and Trondheim area. They also market some products derived from honey: mustard, caramel and marinades, all handcrafted with the honey of their bees!
Photo. Farm shop of Siv et Jon Kristian
In beekeeping, the climate is the parameter that governs the activity. The most productive days are sunny during the day and rainy at night: the flowers, open during the day, provide the bees with as much pollen as possible. On rainy days, ladies do not fly in search of pollen, but feed directly in the hive: in one day the bees can consume up to 2 kg of honey! In Norway, snow sets in for 6 months of the year. In the fall, the colony gathers around the queen. As in hibernation, the hive goes to sleep while waiting for sunny days: the queen no longer lays eggs and the colony drastically reduces in size. The bees are then given sugar to feed themselves throughout the winter. Despite the bitter cold of winter, the swarm formed in the hive maintains its temperature at 27°C. If this homeothermy of the colony occurs naturally, the hives are also adapted to the climate: an insulating layer is installed on the roof of the hive to limit heat loss.
Photo. Siv et Kristian's hives
The season starts from Easter, when the plants shed their snow cover and let the first flowers appear. At the start of the season, Siv and Jon Kristian check the hives to assess their level of production. Depending on the status of the hive, they will determine where to take it to forage. The colony's production depends on the flowers available, but also on the queen, who ensures the renewal of her workers. Queens produce up to 200 eggs per day in their second year of life! After three years, Siv and Jon Kristian replace them.
Photo. Near the beehives, a few curious goats feed in the land.
Their hives will have two honey seasons until the end of summer. Two seasons, two landscapes! In spring, bees forage on flowering raspberries in the region. Please note, this is not 100% raspberry honey! Every day, a choice is made: what flower are we harvesting today? This is how bees change their diet from day to day, one day foraging exclusively on raspberry blossoms, another day on a flower from any tree or plant. In summer, after a first harvest of honey, the bees go on vacation! The beehives leave the land for six weeks to reach the island of Hitra on the west coast, where beekeepers rent places from farmers. On the island, the bees will produce quality dark honey from the heather that abounds here.
Photos 1 à 3. Landscapes and vegetation of the island of Hitra
A question ran through our heads. In France, we hear a lot about the difficulties faced by beekeepers in the face of environmental hazards resulting from human activity: pesticides, bee parasites ... What about Norway? According to Jon Kristian, in Norway beekeepers do not have a major problem with their hives and the main reason is the Norwegian policy which directly or indirectly protects bees. Agricultural activity in Norway is very controlled. There are few intensive crops in the country, except for the potato. Spraying cannot be done on sunny days and is tightly controlled by the state. In Norway, the management of public green spaces is also carried out in a way that benefits bees (for example, road edges are mowed once a year). Finally, the management of health risks on a national scale is highly regulated: Norway refuses the passage of varroa which invades European hives (the transport of bees or foreign beekeepers on Norwegian soil is strictly prohibited) and the Asian hornet has not yet come this far. Add to this that for a bee, Norway is an island (inaccessible from Denmark for example) and you have an api-friendly country!
Norwegian moment
- Rural experience in Norway
Siv and Jon Kristian are members of the Hanen network, which brings together rural actors offering diverse and varied experiences for Norwegian and international holidaymakers. Via the Hanen network, it is possible to find a welcome on the farm, a local producers' store, accommodation in the heart of nature, on the farm, or unusual... Hanen also refers to activities in the countryside, sports or contemplation (sled dogs, whale watching ...)
Siv and Jon Kristian also decorated the entrance to their store with a large blue logo, which reads: "European Region of Gastronomy, Trondheim - Trondelag, Awarded 2022, Producer". The region of Trondheim - Trondelag has indeed been awarded the "European Region of Gastronomy" prize by IGCAT (International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism). This initiative aims to protect and promote the diversity of culinary products in Europe. It provides the award-winning regions and its producers with visibility, through a book published by the institute, entitled "Thriving Together towards New Horizons."
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