LETTERS

Seafaring beekeepers

Jason Lawrence sought the ‘fabled black bee honey’ in Ushant (YM, May 2021) – but found that the small supply had sold out. This scarcity is typical because the plant in the beekeepers’ vicinity, which offers the best nectar, and therefore, the best honey – is thyme. But the collection of a vast amount of thyme nectar in such a location is impossible.

You should visit Greece instead, where they are producing arguably the best thyme honey on this planet, in remarkable quantities.

They have solved Ushant’s problem. An apiarist on Kos Island explained it: Because thyme grows only at the edges of farmers’ fields in small quantities, you must achieve many harvests in various locations. Mother Nature