Honey has been harvested for over 8,000 years. Explore its composition, the many varietals, and the full pantry of hive products — from beeswax and propolis to mead and bee venom.
Honey composition
pH
~3.9 (very acidic)
Granulation optimum
55°F (12.8°C)
Fermentation threshold
20%+ moisture
Cured honey moisture
< 19%
Shelf life
Effectively limitless (3,000-yr-old tomb honey was edible)
Weight
~12 lb per gallon (5.4 kg / 3.8 L)
Honey varietals
Cut comb
Honey sealed in its own comb — as nature intended; reserved for heavy nectar flows.
Whipped (creamed)
Whipping a fast-granulating honey like clover keeps it smooth and spreadable at room temperature.
Manuka
From the manuka tree in NZ/Australia; alleged medicinal properties drive extreme prices — counterfeits are common.
Blended
Cheap supermarket honey — a mix of various honeys and sometimes sugar syrup.
Local
Garden and wild flowers; taste varies year to year with available forage.
Honeydew
Made from plant-sap waste passed through aphids — strong, almost sour flavor.
Meliponine
From stingless bees in Brazil; milder flavor, premium price.
Tupelo
From tupelo trees in Florida/Georgia — a premium honey that won't granulate.
The full pantry of hive products
Honey
Food, natural sweetener, baking (hygroscopic — keeps baked goods moist), mead.
Beeswax
Candles (burn brighter, longer, cleaner), cosmetics, honeycomb foundation, art. Melting point low; never heat over open flame.
Pollen
Collected via entrance traps; sold as human supplement. Difficult to digest — research ongoing.
Propolis
Resinous hive caulking. Biologically active; researched for burns, bacteria, fungi. Composition highly variable — medicinal use is risky.
Royal Jelly
Queen-larva food; minor cosmetic component; investigated for possible antitumor and antibiotic properties.
Bee Venom (apitoxin)
Collected by mild electric-shock 'milking'; apitherapy explored for arthritis and rheumatism.
Mead
Honey wine — probably the first alcoholic beverage. Fermented honey + water + yeast + nutrients.
Honeydew
Collected from aphid/scale insect waste; complex sugars, molasses-like flavor.
Harvesting honey
The quickest harvest method for small apiaries is to smoke the colony well, remove each honey frame, shake and brush the bees free, and transfer bee-free frames to a receiving chamber screened against robbers.
To extract, warm combs reduce viscosity. Uncap cells with a heated knife, spin combs in a honey extractor (centrifuge), strain through a double-sieve, and dispense into jars. Never heat honey above 160°F (71°C) or for more than 30 minutes.
Return wet combs to the hive at late afternoon for the bees to clean up — never leave them outdoors, which stimulates robbing and can spread disease.