Bonita Honey & Beekeeping

Know your beekeeper

You just bought that honey in the store and are getting ready to add it to your tea. But is it really honey?

We assume that if the bottle label says it is honey, it must be. This may not be true. Unfortunately there is an increasing amount of honey that is sold that is not pure honey. Much of this is imported from China or other countries. Due to an increasing demand for honey, unscrupulous companies will mix other products such as corn syrup and rice syrup with the honey so they have more product to sell. Tests are available to detect fake honey but none of those are accessible to the consumer.

So what is a person to do? There are several questions one might ask regarding the honey they are purchasing.

Where did the honey come from? Looking on the label will give you some information but it could be somewhat misleading. Some labels indicate that the honey is bottled in the US. That does not mean the honey comes from the US. Also the label may state that the honey was produced in the US. Again the honey may have been blended in the US but the separate products might come from imported honey.

Are there chemicals in the honey? Hopefully not. Most US producers of honey do their best to insure that chemicals used in the hives do not get into the honey. Although many  beekeepers use chemicals in the hives to kill pests such as the Varroa mite it is improbable that honey coming from countries such has China are managed to minimize the presence of chemicals. An increasing number of beekeepers are managing their bees in such a way to fight off the Varroa mite without the use of chemicals ( including Bonita Honey). Pesticides that bees may come in contact with while collecting nectar and pollen are unavoidable.

Is there pollen in the honey? Much of the commercially available honey has little or no pollen in it because it has been filtered out. The presence of pollen in the honey is thought to help with allergies. Of course for this to be helpful the honey should be from your local area. Bonita Honey just strains the honey to remove the larger wax particles allowing the pollen to remain.

Has the honey been heated? Why is this important? Commercially produced honey is often heated so it flows faster and is easier to bottle. When honey is too hot the enzymes that are naturally present in the honey may be destroyed. Bonita Honey is not heated before bottling.

Is there good imported honey? Yes. There are reputable companies importing honey into the US, usually at a premium price. The purchaser just needs to be aware of where the honey is coming from and who is selling it.

So, why is it good to know your beekeeper? You can have confidence that you know the source of your honey, how it is handled and how the bees are managed. Plus, you are supporting a local, small business!