Honey From Honey Bees

Beekeepers extract honey by removing the honey storage cells of a hive, or comb, and spinning it in a centrifuge. The honey is then sometimes filtered and pasteurized. Honey connoisseurs generally prefer raw honey which is unfiltered and unpasteurized.

The color and flavor of honey varies by floral source. Honey made from clover flowers, for example, looks and tastes different than honey from blackberry flowers. Small scale beekeepers are better able to control the floral source of their honey and hence offer a more distinctive product. Inexpensive honey is usually a blend of many floral sources.

Since honey serves as the food reserves of the hive we essentially rob the hive when we collect honey. As such, beekeepers must sometimes feed the colony sugar water throughout the winter months, when flower nectar is unavailable.

Where can I purchase high quality honey?

Local beekeepers are your best source for high quality honey. Check with your county agricultural Extension office or state agricultural university for a list of beekeepers in your area. Another good place to find a local beekeeper is the nearest Farmers Market. Keep in mind that there are usually two types of beekeepers. Those that maintain bees mainly as commercial pollinators, and harvest honey as a by-product, and those that maintain bees mainly for honey and beeswax production. The latter group typically have fewer hives and thus can control honey quality better.

The next best honey source is a retailer that specializes in honey and honey related products. Online stores can be very useful here because you get to sample honey from different geographic areas, and floral sources, by mail order. Honey is sold by weight or volume. As a rough estimate 1 gallon weighs about 12 pounds (roughly 1.5 times the weight of water).

An important reminder to parents about honey

Do not give honey, in any form, to children under 1 year of age. Honey may contain spores of a bacterium that infants are unable to tolerate. For more information see infant botulism (pdf file).