Kocaali Camdagi Chestnut Honey Product Description and Distinctive Features: Kocaali Pine Mountain Chestnut Honey is presented to consumers as a flower honey class, classified according to its source, and as strained honey based on its production and/or market presentation. It is a bee product produced by bees collecting nectar from primarily chestnut and other flowering plants in the specific geographical area of the stated plant cover. Kocaali Pine Mountain Chestnut Honey is a product that has become synonymous with the district and gained recognition due to beekeeping activities carried out by beekeepers in the Kocaali district for centuries, especially in the approximately 900 m altitude Pine Mountain region. Beekeeping and honey production in the region are based on the vegetation of the area, including chestnut trees, and other plant varieties such as pine, plane tree, beech, lime, and alder that form the forest. The plants serving as primary and secondary pollen sources spreading within the specified geographical boundary contribute to the unique aroma and color of Kocaali Pine Mountain Chestnut Honey. Depending on the climate and vegetation, the honey includes primarily Castanea sativa (chestnut) as the primary pollen source, and secondary pollen sources include Fabaceae (Legumes), Hedysarum (Sainfoin), Apiaceae (Umbellifers), Ericaceae (Heaths) in small quantities, as well as Asteraceae (Daisies), Rosaceae (Rosaceae), and Tilia spp. (Linden). In the production of Kocaali Pine Mountain Chestnut Honey, the Caucasian Honey Bee (Apis mellifera caucasica) is generally used. The Caucasian Honey Bee is resilient to Kocaali climate conditions and is the most known and preferred bee ecotype among beekeepers. Representatively, chestnut pollen constitutes at least 70% of the total pollen content of the product in terms of chestnut pollen representation in Kocaali Pine Mountain Chestnut Honey. The product is named chestnut honey because it is characterized by the botanical source of the most dominant unifloral species (chestnut). Kocaali Pine Mountain Chestnut Honey is brown in color, varying in shades, with a specific aroma related to the vegetation it is sourced from. It has a relatively bitter and tangy taste, a thick and fluid consistency, and when consumed, it creates a mild burning sensation in the throat. Production Method: Kocaali Pine Mountain Chestnut Honey is produced and presented to consumers in compliance with the Turkish Food Codex regulations. No food component or external additive, including food additives, can be added during production. The production stages of Kocaali Pine Mountain Chestnut Honey are as follows: Spring Care: In beekeeping for Kocaali Pine Mountain Chestnut Honey, attention must be paid to the procedures to be performed every season to achieve the desired level of productivity. The most intense period for these activities is spring. During spring checks, the wintering conditions of the bees, the amount of existing food in the hive, the presence of the queen bee, the egg-laying status, the quantity of worker bees, and the presence of diseases in the hive are checked. For chestnut honey production, the beehives are overwintered in open areas. Particularly in the initial checks, care is taken not to expose the bee colonies to cold temperatures. If the colony is exposed to cold, it should be remembered that the bees need to consume more honey to raise the temperature of the brood area, which is approximately 35˚C, back to the same temperature. For colonies with frame-bottom hives, an increase of approximately 10˚C in temperature requires the bees to consume daily honey in the range of 40-80 grams. During periods when the bees are active, the bottom board of the hive is cleaned. Covers (boards) with accumulated moisture and water should be replaced. If the bottom board is fixed to the hive body, cleaning or replacement is done together with the hive body. During frame inspection, frames with mold, excessively darkened, and broken combs are removed from the hive. Clean frames from the previous year are provided if needed. If processed frames cannot be found, foundation frames are used. If the existing number of bees in the hive does not fill the frames, empty frames are removed, and the space is narrowed. Half of the brood frames are replaced each year. The food control of bees in the hive is conducted, and the amount of honey and pollen in the hive is determined. In the early spring months, if the food stock is insufficient, feeding is not done with cakes or sugar syrup made from honey and powdered sugar. Emphasis is placed on natural feeding of the bees from natural sources. The 'Caucasian Honey Bee' is used as the bee race in the region. When it is desired to increase the number of colonies, artificial swarming is performed by dividing a colony that has reached sufficient strength. Information specific to each hive is recorded during each colony check, and details such as the emergence and egg-laying start date of the queen, origin, honey, and pollen quantities, and the status of the brood are included in the records. Summer Care: After the spring care, maintenance and checks of the bees continue in the summer months.Comb and Super Adding: With the beginning of the development activities of the bees, they start building combs. New foundation frames are given to the bees during this period. When there is brood in the hive, a super, or in other words, a honey chamber, must be added. When adding the super, at least 2 frames of honeycomb from the brood chamber are taken. New frames are given in their place. In addition to the honeycombs, a few new frames are placed on top of the brood chamber when the brood is present.Autumn Care and Overwintering: Autumn care is crucial for bees to survive the winter without losses. In autumn, honey and pollen-stored frames are left for the bees as winter food. Low-quality honeys are not given to bees as winter food. If the bee population is weak, queenless, the queen is old and unproductive, a young queen is applied to the bees. If there is no queen, they are combined in the fall. Even if there is enough honey and pollen left in the bee colonies, feeding is done with sugar syrup prepared with 2 measures of white powdered sugar and 1 measure of water. Additionally, they can be fed with cake when entering or leaving the winter. The cake is obtained by mixing a part of honey with 3 parts of powdered sugar. Pest Control: In pest control, authorized pesticides in compliance with the relevant regulations are used. Compliance with the instructions on the labels is ensured during their use. Harvest: The formation of honey in the combs generally takes place in the first three weeks of July. Honey harvesting is done in the times following this date. The harvest period may vary depending on the years, nectar flow, and climate conditions. The honey to be collected is taken from the honey chamber part of the beehive, and harvesting is not done from the brood chamber.