Is your honey raw?
Yes, our honey goes from the comb into your bottle, plain and simple!
Is your honey heated?
Our honey is never heated; however, this means sometimes your honey will be crystallized.
Is crystallized honey spoliled or different?
Crystallization is a natural process that honey undergoes during temperature changes and aging. This does not mean it’s rancid or that there’s something wrong. If you’d like to liquefy your honey again, place the jar in a pot of water on low heat and the crstalys will melt.
Can honey go bad?
Honey is the only edible substance that can never go bad, however it naturally crystallize over time.
Can I help the bees?
A few basic ways to make a big difference are to stop the use of pesticides and encourage others to do the same. Let wild flowers, like dandelions, grow on your lawn, create a bee bath, or plant bee-friendly flowers. Common bee-friendly flowers that require little maintenance are: bachelor buttons, black eyed susans, sedum, and Echinacea. To create a bee bath, simply take an existing bird bath and fill it with rocks so that only a small part of the water is exposed. If you live in an area with mosquitoes, a solar pump can keep the water circulating or some bleach or chlorine can be used in the water, the bees don’t mind!
What about those newfangled spigot hives?
Spigot hives and other “inventions” are dangerous to bees as they restrict living space, destroy brood (unhatched bees), and result in the extraction of nectar instead of honey, which is dangerous as it is prone to spoilage. Do not use them, ever. We have consulted Master-Beekeepers and state officials that all unanimously agree that these hives are dangerous to bee populations. We ran a small study during last year’s EAS convention to determine how efficient these hives are. Users of them reported a 95% hive loss in the first year and a 100% hive loss in the second year. They also cited extremely high hive part prices being an issue and the plastic construction resulting in the hive’s rejection of hive parts.
What is sustainable beekeeping?
Sustainable beekeeping is when we create everything we need to maintain and grow a population. Currently about 48% of hives die each year and most individuals will simply buy a new colony to replace the losses. We do not, in fact we do the opposite. Throughout the year, we raise new colonies just in case something happens to a hive. This ensures that we never have to import bees. Instead by facilitating their natural reproduction, we work to grow and maintain our numbers. There is much more to keeping a sustainable apiary, however this is the most important part, if you’re interested, contact us!