Honey Show

Photos from previous shows

Photos from the 2022 show will be here
Photos from the 2018 show are here
Photos from the 2017 show are here.
Photos from the 2015 show are here.

Note: Application form and printable brochure are at the bottom of this page.

ANNUAL HONEY SHOW 2022

Saturday 12th November 2022
Teagasc Centre, Dublin Road, Dundalk, Co Louth

ENTRIES ACCEPTED
Saturday 9th November: 9.00am - 11.00am

JUDGE SHOW SECRETARY
Paul Boyle Tom Shaw

STAGING OF EXHIBITS
9.30am to 11.00am – Saturday 12th November 2019

Judging commences at 11:30am • Prize giving from 4.00pm
Return of exhibits: 5.00pm to 6.00pm

Entry fee is €2 per entry (except Gift Class) and €20 is the maximum fee irrespective of the number of entries

ENTRIES to be taken on the day

A raffle will be held on the day for prizes of beekeeping equipment.

HONEY SHOW SCHEDULE

Open Classes

HONEY
1. Two jars of light honey
2. Two jars of medium honey
3. Two jars of dark honey
4. Two jars of creamed / soft set honey
5. Two jars of naturally crystallised honey (not stirred)
6. Two jars of chunk honey (approx. 50% cut comb)
7. Gift Class: (Donation) – No entrance fee. One jar of any type of honey or section.
8. One jar or tub of ivy honey
9. Three jars of any type of honey, but all matching (see rule 5)
10. Novice class. One jar any colour. Note: for exhibitors who have not won a first Prize at any honey show.
11. One jar of honey for tasting
COMB HONEY (see rule 6)
12. One Irish Section
13. One containers of cut comb.
14. One frame of wired comb honey any size. (Suitable for extraction)
BEESWAX
15. One piece, not patterned, at least 340g-454g (1lb) weight and at least 25mm (1 inch) thick (see rule 7).
16. Two matching beeswax candles (One to be lit by judge.)
17. Five 25g-30g (1oz) blocks, matching in all respects.
18. One beeswax model, moulded. (Colour may be used)
19. One container of beeswax polish
20. An interesting or instructive exhibit or new invention related to beekeeping
CONFECTIONERY
21. Plain Honey cake, (any recipe using honey is acceptable)
22. Fruit & Honey cake, (any recipe using honey is acceptable)
23. Honey biscuits. (6 required any recipe)
MISCELLANEOUS
24. An artistic exhibit related to beekeeping e.g. (embroidery, honey pot, painting etc)
25. A photograph of a Beekeeping subject.
26. Children’s class. Artistic exhibit relating to beekeeping.
MEAD (see rule 9)
27. One bottle of dry mead
28. One bottle of sweet mead

THE SUPREME HONEY CHAMPION WILL BE SELECTED FROM THE WINNERS OF CLASSES 1 TO 6.

CUPS AND TROPHIES

LBKA

Philip McCabe Perpetual Cup .................................................................. Supreme Honey Champion

Kevin Griffin Memorial Trophy ......................................................................... Winner - Novice Class

Louth Beekeepers Shield .................................................................................... Winner – Most Points

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

The Co Louth Beekeepers Association (LBKA)
show committee will not be responsible for
any loss or damage to entries.

The winner of a cup, trophy or plaque may retain it until the following year,
when it should be returned, cleaned and polished, and in good condition to
the LKBA secretary. All such prizes shall remain the property of LBKA.
A prize(s) that are lost or damaged during the time in which they are in the
possession of the winner must be replaced, or the repair costs be covered,
by the winner. In accepting the prize the winner accepts these conditions.

Entries are confined to members of LBKA, and in the case of class 24 to family children.
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Exhibits may not be removed until after the presentation of prizes.
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POINTS AWARDED AS FOLLOWS
1st - 6 Points • 2nd - 5 Points • 3rd - 4 Points • VHC - 3 Points • HC - 2 Points • C - 1 Point

HONEY SHOW RULES AND REGULATIONS

All honey and wax exhibited must be the bona fide produce of the exhibitors' own bees.
A judge may not be an exhibit in any class in which he/she acts as a judge.

All exhibits to be staged between 9.30am - 11.00am on the 9th November of the Honey Show. Judging commences at 11:30am sharp.
Staging of exhibits will be carried out exclusively by show stewards. Exhibitors are allowed in the judging area until after the results are announced.
Identification labels - exhibitors must label every item with the (LBKA) identification labels supplied. These labels must not be altered and are to be fixed to honey jars approximately 10-15mm (½ inch) above the bottom of the jar or mead bottle.
Extracted honey must be shown in clear 1lb-454g or 12oz-340g jars, with a plain gold lacquered lid or the standard FIBKA lid, screw tops or twist off, all matching except where otherwise stated.
Jars of Honey, any type but all matching, as offered for sale, exhibitors own label to conform with current E.U. legislation by the Department of Agriculture
Comb Honey:
1. Sections should be exhibited in clear sided cases
2. Frames should be exhibited in a display case or on an appropriate stand
3. Cut comb. Containers with transparent lids
Wax cakes should carry two identification labels, one on the underside of the wax, the other placed on the right hand corner of the plates provide. Wax can be polished or unpolished
For the Honey Cake, the 2 x ID labels supplied should be placed with the exhibit, one on top of the cake and one on the paper plate, inside a cake bag (both will be provided).
Mead must be entered in clear colourless (70-75 ml) glass bottles without lettering, fluting or ornamentation. Bottles must be corked with flanged stoppers making them re-moveable without the use of mechanical aid. Exhibitors in this class must be over18 years of age
Photographs can be framed with glass or mounted on a piece of stiff card (A4). The identification label should be placed below the picture in the middle, as well as a Title. Exhibitors’ names must not be shown.
Awards: exhibitors may have more than one entry in a class, but no single entry may be shown in more than one class and an exhibitor shall not be entitled to more than one placed award per class.
The awards of points to be calculated on the following basis: 1st Prize - 6 Points, 2nd Prize - 5 Points, 3rd Prize - 4 Points, Very Highly Commended - 3 Points, Highly Commended - 2 Points, Commended - 1 Point.
The Honey Show Judge is empowered to:-
1. Increase the number and value of prizes and/or awards in any class, should the number and high standards of merit, warrant his doing.
2. Withhold prizes in case of insufficient entries.
3. Submit for analysis any exhibit.
4. Decide any question as to the interpretation of the foregoing rules and regulations.

The decision of the Show Committee on any matter whatsoever, under or in relation to the foregoing rules an Entries to the gift class become the property of the LBKA and may be disposed of at the committee’s discretion during the show. The exhibits may be bought back; this should be indicated on the entry form.

Why should you enter?

For those who have never experienced a honey show before, this is an opportunity for you to show off something associated with bees and beekeeping. While probably the majority of the entries are focused on honey, there are classes for beeswax, honey cakes, mead, photography, and many more. Each of the classes has specific requirements and you can find many articles online on how to make the most of your entries. For example, below are excellent suggestions from Keith Pierce on how to optimise your honey entries.

As Paul pointed out at his lecture, this is something everyone should participate in. In fact, it's not unusual for some classes to have no entries, so the reality is that you all stand a very good chance - you can even enter the novice classes if you're not confident, or enter the taste class where your honey doesn't have to look perfect. If you're looking for jars, you can pick them up at Irish Bee Supplies, located between Collon and Ardee.

The judge will explain why he makes his decisions: this is a fascinating experience and you'll learn a lot, so this is definitely not to be missed.

PREPARING HONEY FOR SHOW - KEITH PIERCE

Try to look at your honey in much the way that a very critical customer would examine a jar before making a purchase: is it free from foam, dirt and partially granulated honey? Does it have a very clean jar and cap, and does the honey sparkle? The Honey Judge can see these things before opening the cover, but will open the jar and look at the inside of the lid, as well as testing for moisture content and flavour.

Pass the honey through the finest filter you can. To do this, you will need to warm the honey gently. After it has been filtered, allow the honey to sit in a covered bucket in a warm place for as long as possible, so that air bubbles rise to the surface.
Carefully select the jars to use. Try to avoid those with blemishes in the glass, although the Honey Judges can tell the difference between glass blemishes and faults in the honey.
If you are entering 2 jars, prepare at least 6 so that you can pick the best of them. Never assume that your jars are clean. Wash them thoroughly, but do not dry them with a cloth as this leaves fibres which will show up when the Honey Judge inspects the entry.
Be extra careful when pouring the honey into the jar to avoid incorporating air bubbles. These air bubbles would rise to the top and be readily visible when the Honey Judge opens the lid. Pour the honey slowly down the side of the jar, filling it to within a couple of millimetres of the rim, and then set aside in a warm place.
Check the jar(s) after several days, skimming off any bubbles or particles around the mouth of the jar. Place a piece of clingfilm over the surface of the honey and then lift it slowly, so that it releases the bubbles from the surface,
Inspect the honey with a strong light behind the jar to check for impurities. You can often tease them out with a clean plastic straw.
Use several cloths for wiping the jars. Very old laundered cloths work well for cleaning the jars as they do not usually leave fibres. Having selected the cloths you want to use, wash them to be absolutely sure that they are completely clean and free from grease.
Using a barely damp cloth, carefully clean the inside rim of the jar. When the lid is on the jar, you must not be able to see any air space between the honey and the lid. If there is a space, the Honey Judge will assume that there is not the correct weight of honey in the jar.
Check the surface of the honey on the day of the contest, just in case.
Keep the jars upright at all times from now on.
Wash your hands thoroughly and carefully wipe the outside of each jar with a damp cloth, removing all fingerprints or other marks. Polish the jars with another, dry lint-free cloth. From this point on, handle the jars only by the lid
The most common faults leading to disqualification are cloudy honey beginning to crystallise, jars not full enough, air bubble scum on the surface of the honey and fingerprints on the outside of the jar.

Don't make the Judges' job too easy. They need to disqualify as many jars as possible, until they have just First, Second and Third, Commended and Highly Commended in front of them for their final decisions.

Best of luck.
Keith Pierce

Honey Show Documents

These were sent out to everyone already but here they are again, just in case.

honey_show_entry_form_2022.docx
File Size:	152 kb
File Type:	docx

Download File

honey_show_brochure_2022.pdf
File Size:	323 kb
File Type:	pdf