Record harvest and processing data
Recording harvest and processing data is a good beekeeping practice consisting of the systematic documentation of operations from honey extraction through processing, storage and packaging to sale. The underlying principle is traceability: each batch is linked, through dates and lot numbers, to its apiary of origin and to the operations and materials involved, so the chain from hive to consumer can be reconstructed.
The practice begins at extraction, when harvest conditions, colony state and quantities are recorded, and continues through processing steps such as filtering, decrystallisation or freezing, and through storage and packaging. It supports quality control, since parameters such as moisture content are also logged, and underpins compliance with food safety and labelling legislation, including Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 and, for honey, Directive 2001/110/EC.
It is commonly associated with complementary practices such as hive inspection logs and colony performance monitoring.
Warnings: May depend on the regulations in force in the given country.
Please check out the B-THENET Platform for the Best Beekeeping Practices tailored to each country in the national language, co-developed with practicing beekeepers in the National B-THENET Centres of those countries (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden).
BEST PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS FOR A SUSTAINABLE BEEKEEPING
Ongoing | 2022-2026
- Main funding source
- Horizon Europe (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
- Geographical location
- Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden