Apiculture Jungels (Jungels bee-keeping), the empire of bees

Did you know that male bees don’t have stingers and therefore can’t sting? And that a queen can lay up to 2,000 eggs a day to ensure the survival of the colony? Or that the worker bees kill the drones (male bees) at the end of the reproductive season? These anecdotes highlight the remarkable organisation of the world of bees. These facts hold no secrets for bee-keeper Victor Jungels, who has dedicated his life to raising these fascinating insects and producing exceptional honey.

A claim that is anything but exaggerated: at Apiculture Jungels, the honey goes straight from hive to jar, with no detours. "Vun der Wab an d'Glas", as he proudly affirms in Luxembourgish. No artificial ingredients, no preservatives. Just pure honey, harvested and jarred with the utmost care.  

Pure and natural honey

Before the golden nectar is jarred and preferably spread on toast, a great deal of work takes place behind the scenes. At daybreak, the bee-keeper leaps into action and heads straight to his hives. His daily rhythm adapts to that of the bees. "In the morning, when the temperature is still cool and the hives are calm, we seize the opportunity to intervene. But as soon as the sun warms up and the bees become active, we leave them alone. In the middle of the day, it’s best not to disturb them – they’re busy working and they’ll let you know it", explains Victor Jungels.

His colonies are mainly located around the forests in the Our Nature Park, since the diversity of the landscapes there offers excellent conditions for producing authentic-flavoured honey. During the summer, over 15 million bees work for the bee-keeping enterprise.

Once the liquid gold has been extracted from the hives, Victor returns to his workshop where the humming of machines replaces the buzzing of bees. "Our honey extraction process is fully automated using professional equipment, unlike the methods used by amateur bee-keepers", he explains to us. The sweet smell of freshly harvested honey fills the air, teasing the senses – an irresistible temptation that makes you want to dip your finger into the vat and taste this warm golden nectar.

Once the honey has been extracted, it is poured into huge vats to rest for a few days. Next comes the packaging stage, when it is put into jars. In a good year, Victor can harvest between 4 and 5 tonnes of honey, and his range is very diverse, including spring honey, dandelion honey, summer honey, forest honey, linden honey and propolis honey, not forgetting the stronger-flavoured "Wëllkär-Hunneg". All of these honey varieties are sold directly to consumers.

But the product range goes far beyond this golden nectar. Victor also sells pollen, honey liqueur, hydromel – also known as honey wine – and various by-products such as furniture wax, candles and even propolis.

A completely autonomous bee-keeper

All of these products highlight the artisanal expertise of Apiculture Jungels. In a field where professional bee-keepers are few and far between, Victor Jungels has established himself as a key reference. With over 35 years of experience, his bee farm is the oldest one in the country. It all began in the 1980s when Victor’s parents transitioned to bee-keeping. Before that, they had a traditional farm. Ten years ago, their son followed in their footsteps. Today, Victor runs the company with his parents, together with the precious support of seasonal workers or students.

The farm is divided into two parts: one devoted to the production of honey, with 210 colonies spread across 20 locations from Brandenbourg towards the north; and another which focuses on breeding queens, with 200 to 300 colonies in summer, intended solely for reproduction purposes.

Apiculture Jungels is virtually the only bee farm that makes a living exclusively from beehive products. "This makes marketing a top priority: it provides us with more security, frees us from reliance on supermarkets and allows us to have full control over our production. We therefore focus entirely on direct-to-consumer sales", emphasises Victor.

But that’s not the company’s only asset. Everything is done in-house, with the family managing the entire supply chain, from the hive to the consumer: honey production, colony care, packaging, labelling and regular attendance at local markets. The Jungels family firmly believes that handling everything themselves is a guarantee of quality, transparency and trust. "By controlling the entire process, we offer premium quality", adds Victor.

What matters most for the Jungels, is keeping their bees in good health. "For this, the bees need to have the right genetic traits", specifies Victor. "By breeding our own queens, we’ve managed to make our bees vigorous, healthy and resistant to varroa mites. As part of our breeding process, we have succeeded in selecting colonies that are able to defend themselves against this parasite. We are actually one of the first bee-keeping farms in Europe that doesn’t require treatments against these mites. This improves the overall well-being of our bees. It’s a real breakthrough."

During winter, the preparation work continues

At the Jungels’ bee farm, no two days are alike, not even in winter. The season is quieter, but the activity doesn’t stop: "We take this opportunity to check our equipment, maintain our machines and attend a few markets. We check the colonies and feed them, then the season ends in October. That’s when the honey processing work begins", explains Victor.

That continues until March, when the new season begins. At this stage, the bees become active again, the first flowers appear and the colonies start to grow. "We check all the hives to make sure they have survived the winter".

Victor harvests the first honey of the season as of April. This ‘spring honey’ has to be extracted quickly because it crystallises faster. Next comes the following harvest, then the summer honey harvest – the Jungels’ primary production. This honey remains liquid for longer and is harvested towards the end of August.

From that point onwards, winter approaches and the season draws to an end… before beginning again a few months later, with the same dedication and passion.