Getting a buzz out of cleaning

Every year since 1962, the City of London festival brings culture to the capital with music, poetry, art, films and talks. The central aim of the festival is to bring mainly free entertainment to those who live and work within the city.

This year’s festival includes an extra theme, celebrating biodiversity and the plight of the honey bee. Eight bee hives have been placed in the City and there are special events laced through the festival celebrating the work of the honey bee. Apart from poetry and music, lunchtime talks give visitors the chance to see a beehive in action and possibly to taste the honey produced from City of London flowers. The last two of these ceremonies are at the Museum of London on 6 July and Leadenhall Market on 8 July, both at 13.00.

The fact that bees are in decline has been causing concern around the world as they are major pollinators of our food plants. A number of research projects have been set up including Royal Holloway, University of London, being given a £3m grant in May 2010 to study possible causes of bee decline.

The fact that bees are able to produce honey even in the City of London means that we can all do our bit to help the bees. Beekeeping itself is not for everyone and requires a daily commitment but we can all plant flowers in our gardens to encourage the bees. Many of the plants that bees love form part of the traditional English garden. Plant flowers such as Hollyhocks, Aquilegia and Lupins for a cottage garden feel. Or how about thyme, rosemary and mint to not only attract bees but also give you fresh herbs to cook with.

We all want to save the bees, not just for their pollinating powers or for the fact that bees wax makes a great furniture polish but also because honey has been one of our staple foods since before written records began over 4,000 years ago. Unfortunately, honey has one problem, it is sticky. Spill honey on any surface and you can still feel the effects days later.

Our top tip for dealing with honey spills is to clean the honey up straight away. Use a knife to scrape away as much of the honey as you can and then use hot water to sponge away the rest. Make the water as hot as you can safely bear and it should dissolve and clean up the honey quickly. For more substantial spills drop flour on top before you start to clean. The flour helps to congeal the honey and makes it easier to scrape up. At least you won’t ever have to face the spill experienced by the residents of Illinois in March 2010. A truck carrying 25,000 pounds of honey overturned. Troops had to use sand to absorb the honey and the clean up took about six hours.