A large area of the island of Cres is covered with thick ancient forests. The inhabitants used to live from chopping trees and selling fire wood of high quality. The forests were taken care of and the ground was cleaned by sheep. Northern part of the island is particularly rich in wood. Ancient trees of ash, cornel and maple are fascinating. These trees are an excellent source of nutrients for plant lice. They produce honey dew. Honeydew honey is honey produced from honey dew, and not from flower nectar and, as such, it differs from flower honeys.
All honeydew honeys are of high quality, especially maple and downy oak. Their colour is darker, there is no specific smell and they stay in liquid state for a long time. Due to high percentage of various minerals, they are excellent for blood vessels.
Honeydew can rarely be found on other plants, even though it is not impossible. Downy oak grows only in forest of Tramontana, while maple can be found along the whole island. Occasionally you can witness a very pretty sight- honeydew threads spreading from the trees like spider webs while the sun is melting in the sea. Hardworking bees collect nectar until the last ray of sun, making it seem as if the tress themselves are buzzing into the sunset.