Once again this year, the participants in the “Practical Beekeeping” course at Hof University were able to reap the rewards of their dedicated work. On campus, the honey collected by the university’s bees was harvested, extracted, and processed. In the process, the students once again gained hands-on insights into the world of beekeeping and the importance of honeybees for the environment and biodiversity.
“The honey harvest is a special moment every year because it makes visible what results from the interplay of nature, expertise, and continuous care,” explains Prof. Dr. Jürgen Heym: “Our students experience the entire annual cycle of a bee colony and learn a great deal about ecological interrelationships and sustainable practices.”
The product—honey—varies significantly depending on the season:
We harvested the first spring honey in mid-May. Normally, spring honey is characterized by rapeseed blossoms and nectar; it is very light in color and crystallizes within two weeks. That’s why we harvest it early. Not so this year: Our bees also collected a lot of nectar from other sources. This makes each honey unique in flavor and the 2026 spring honey particularly valuable.
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Heym
By July, it was already time to harvest the summer blossom honey:
This year’s summer honey is golden yellow and has an intense flavor. Our location on the university campus makes a clear difference here: natural flowering areas, with their abundance of wildflowers, blackberries, and blackthorns, shape the flavor. The many linden trees on the university campus add to this, giving the honey a spicy note.”
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Heym
University President Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Jürgen Lehmann praised the group’s dedication during the presentation of the first jars: “My heartfelt thanks go to all the participants in the course. With great dedication and a strong sense of responsibility, they are making a valuable contribution to biodiversity on our campus and demonstrating how sustainability can be brought to life at the university. That deserves great recognition.”
For years, the “Practical Beekeeping” course has combined theoretical knowledge with hands-on experience and helped raise awareness of the need to protect pollinators and the importance of intact ecosystems. The campus bees are thus not only a source of honey but also a visible symbol of sustainable practices at Hof University of Applied Sciences.
