Whilst Sweden is anxious to uncover fake honey and have it removed from shelves, Polish scientists have discovered a 1,300 year old beehive.

Medieval Polish beehive is one of the oldest to be discovered anywhere in the world

It was found inside the trunk of a tree and is believed to be one of the world’s oldest preserved beehives.

As sawmill operators were getting ready to turn the trunk of an ancient oak tree into boards, they noticed something unusual imbedded within the trunk and actually discovered remains of an apiary containing a preserved honeycomb, remains of bees long deceased and what looked like traces of honey.

According to a spokesperson for the beekeeping association Bractwo Bartne, it was sitting in a hollow cavity but it is assumed that as the area had been completely overgrown, medieval beekeepers had simply forgotten about it.

At some stage, the tree collapsed and fell into a river where it was buried under layers of silt for centuries.

Scientists subjected the remains of the trunk radiocarbon dating which came up with a date of 680AD which they believe coincides with the tree ceasing to grow any further.

Much more research will take place on medieval beehive to see how contents compares to the modern day

Having examined the remains, the National Research Institute of Animal Production has come to the conclusion that the hive was inhabited by central European honeybees and further research is ongoing to see how similar or different the medieval bees may be when compared to similar specimens today.

The oak trunk is now displayed at the Museum of Beekeeping Culture in Augustów, while scientists continue studying the biological material.