It’s all about flowers!
Depending on its age and its role in the colony, a bee feeds on pollen, nectar, honeydew, or royal jelly (queen). Some additional information here
However, the geographical situation of Tourteau Chollet, surrounded by woods, gives our vines the opportunity to be near flowers widely appreciated by bees: the acacia and the chestnut in abundance.
Last year, while looking for a new location to deposit their beehives, a couple of beekeepers fell in love with the wooded and biodiversity-rich surroundings of Tourteau Chollet.
But Noël and Laetitia remained worried about the effect of the treatments carried out in the vineyards. Like many citizens, they had heard that the vines were treated with dangerous products.
However, at Tourteau Chollet, the vineyard is certified Terra Vitis in 2005, High Environmental Value in 2012 and Bee Friendly in 2019. We therefore no longer use chemical weedkillers, carcinogens or chemical fertilizers.
As for insecticides, they are replaced by a system of sexual confusion (by diffusing the sexual odors of females “grape worms”, the males can no longer find them. They no longer fertilize and their little caterpillars no longer nibble our grapes)
It was enough to reassure our beekeepers who left their hives for several months next to our vines.
During this period, we could observe the bees gathering acacias and chestnut trees, of course, but also the flowers of our vines.
In the end, they made a harvest so qualitative that they decided to return to Tourteau Chollet this year.
So, if you like browsing like bees and discovering new authentic, natural and French tastes, do not hesitate to taste Tourteau Chollet honey:
– Acacia honey
– Chestnut honey
