Malta: Knights, Wreck Diving and Living Honey

Malta is a small island nation in the heart of the Mediterranean, known for the Knights of St. John, ancient temples, shipwrecks, and its unique native honey bee. In this film, we explore Valletta, the Three Cities, Mdina, Rabat, and the island of Gozo. We visit St. John’s Co-Cathedral and its masterpieces by Caravaggio, the Grandmaster’s Palace, the Ġgantija temples, the Gozo Citadel, and the historic Xwejni salt pans. A major part of our journey is dedicated to Maltese beekeeping and honey. We visit a local apiary, meet the native Maltese honey bee, and learn how it survives the island’s dry climate and copes with Varroa mites. Along the Xemxija Heritage Trail, we discover ancient apiaries carved into the limestone. Clay hives were once placed on their sides inside stone niches, while the bees entered through openings in the outer walls. These remarkable sites show that beekeeping has been part of Maltese life for centuries. On Gozo, we attend the Honey & Bee Fest, hoping to find samples of local honey for our research. Despite the name of the event, honey itself turns out to be surprisingly difficult to find. Eventually, we meet Samuel Zahra, a local beekeeper who has worked with bees all his life, and collect two samples directly from him. Malta is also one of Europe’s best wreck-diving destinations. We dive to HMS Maori, Tug 2, P29, and the massive oil tanker Um El Faroud. We also explore the Blue Hole, the Inland Sea, underwater arches, caves, and tunnels. At the end of the film, we compare the beekeeper’s honey with mass-produced honey using the Olexalab Active Honey Test. The test measures the activity of glucose oxidase, a natural bee enzyme. Both samples from the beekeeper clearly turn blue, showing that their enzymes are still active. In simple terms, this is living honey. The supermarket honey is not necessarily fake, but processing may have destroyed its enzyme activity. It may still be genuine honey, but biologically, it is dead. Which honey would you choose, and how would you check its quality? Leave your answer in the comments. 00:00 Valletta and the Knights of St. John 02:18 Mdina and Rabat 03:23 Visiting the Royal Bee Apiary 08:49 Nightlife in Paceville 09:41 The Xemxija Heritage Trail and Ancient Apiaries 12:55 Scuba Diving in Malta 17:09 Exploring Gozo 18:59 The Honey Fair on Gozo 20:25 Testing Maltese Honey with the Active Honey Test SPECIAL THANKS Diveshack Malta, Diving Center in Sliema https://divemalta.com Phone / WhatsApp: +356 9999 3483 Royal Bee Malta — Maltese Honey and Bee Products https://royalbee.mt Phone: +356 7980 0366 Ta’ Samuel Gozo Honey — Local Honey from Gozo Beekeeper: Samuel Zahra Phone: +356 7994 3716 Facebook: Ta’ Samuel Gozo Honey / Honey Crate Olexalab — Active Honey Test https://olexalab.com