Altitude Magazine N° 11.

38 local life by a period of frost in April and May. For the bees this proved to be catastrophic as they were deprived of food. Yves therefore had to feed his colonies himself. Because of these climatic hazards, the harvest will be smaller this year, as the bees are still in "survival mode". Another danger threatening the bees is the varroa mite, a parasite that is extremely difficult to eradicate. On this subject, Yves Duc considers himself lucky and "knocks on wood" to keep it going. He points out, however, that he has always been extremely fussy about the treatments he carries out. Sometimes small misfortunes can also be beneficial. Indeed, one of the hives lost its queen this year. Next to it was another colony which had a queen but whose population was extremely small. Yves patiently scented the hives with lavender essential oil so that the scents would blend and the two hives eventually merged. At present, it is the strongest hive he owns. Bees mean honey, of course. But what about Yves Duc's honey? I'm sure that those of you who have already tasted it can attest that it is a real treat for the taste buds. And for those of you who have not yet tasted it and still need to be convinced, you should know that David Chocolatier also orders honey for some of his recipes, which says a lot about the excellence of his product. As for production, Yves Duc has noticed that his customers prefer creamy honey. "I make it myself. It's true that it's more work but people love it so it's worth it!"he says. To perfect his quality honey, Yves stirs it regularly over a period of ten days, morning and evening, for an average of five to ten minutes per barrel. This process breaks down the sugar crystals and ensures that the honey remains creamy throughout the season. For those who are interested, Yves suggests you contact him directly to place an order. DUC YVES yves.duc@sunrise.ch 079 435 22 22