The honey production of the UABee hives has progressively increased as the number of hives has grown. Only 2 harvests are carried out per year (spring and summer), although in 2020 only one harvest could be carried out as a result of the strong attacks of velutina on the UAB Campus.

The average yield of the harvested UABee hives has also varied depending on the year and number of hives, being 18.8 (n = 4) in 2019, 12.0 (n = 6) in 2020 and 28.3 kg/hive and year (n = 7) in 2021, as reported by Nieto (2021), Blanch (2022) and Caja et al. (2022). The honey harvest in 2023 was 19.9 kg/hive per year (n = 8; unpublished results). In 2024 it is expected to be able to harvest a total of 8 hives.

The honey produced by the bees of the UABee apiary in the spring and summer harvests is of the milfloral category, extra light amber or light amber in color, with a broad and very varied melisopalynological profile (Multifloral II and III, more than 300 types of pollen), according to the classification of Louveaux et al. (1978).

The dominant botanical taxa of pollen correspond to Fabaceae (>50%), followed by Brassicaceae, Ericaceae, Tiliaceae and Boraginaceae, all of them greater than 5%, and with variations depending on the time of harvest and the year (Caja et al., 2022). This origin of honey is the result of the natural feeding of bees and their foraging in forage crops, weed flora, forests and Mediterranean scrub, as supported by the melisopalynological analyzes carried out in the Palynological Analysis Laboratory (LAP) of the UAB.

UABee honey has a multifloral aroma and a mild flavor, and obtained 3rd place, among the milflores category honeys, in the official honey contest of Catalonia in 2023 (Mercat de Santa Caterina, Barcelona).

All the honey produced in the UABee apiary is natural and untreated, it is extracted at the UAB Food Technology Plant (CERPTA) and is packaged manually, after a filtration and maturation process, in glass jars with a metal lid. of 1 kg.

The analyzes carried out in the Animal Science laboratories of the UAB (Rojas, 2022; Rojas et al., 2023ab) and in the Honey Laboratory (FoodUPV) of the Polytechnic University of Valencia (Schiatti, 2023; Caja et al., 2024), show physicochemical values that meet the standards required by national and international legislation (Codex Alimentarius CXS 12-1981, Directive 2001/110/CE and RD 1049/2003), as well as a high content of antioxidant substances in honey. (flavonoids). Its preparation and composition make UABee honey considered a high-quality artisanal honey that can be objectively differentiated from other non-artisanal commercial honeys (Rojas, 2022; Rojas et al., 2023ab; Schiatti, 2023; Caja et al., 2024). .

Honey has no expiration date and, although it may present crystallization in winter, this disappears when gently heated, thus recovering its fluid state and transparency without losing any of its properties.

The honey is distributed internally at the UAB, among the volunteers collaborating in the apiary activities (Beecoins) and its surpluses can be acquired through the Servei de Granges i Camps Experimentals of the UAB. It can also be requested through this website (contact.uabee@gmail.com) and collected in person or sent by mail.

It is possible to obtain bees, queens and swarms from UABee upon request through this website (contact.uabee@gmail.com).

Bees and swarms can be ordered throughout the year. Virgin queens are produced in the months of March-May.

The UABee team of professors, technicians and students provides support and advice to companies, professional and hobby beekeepers.

The apiary is open to research proposals, technical tests, guided tours for both groups and hobbyists, and theoretical and practical training courses.