Honey Bees rock at Appalachian Bee! Our passion is creating the best quality honey along with skin care products that contain beneficial elements from the beehive.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Is Sourwood Honey Really Sour?
Sourwood Honey confuses many who are not from the southeast United States, even though this tree can be found in the midwest from Illinois to as far north as New York. In many northern states it is on the endangered or threatened list and is protected. It does grow plentiful in the southeast mountainous areas which is where beekeepers will move their colonies for bees to forage. Contrary to its name, sourwood honey has no hint of sourness, and produces a premium honey gathered in the mountainous regions of the southeast. Formally "oxydendrum arboreum", the "sourwood" name refers to the sour taste of the twigs, which are chewed by woodsmen as a thirst quencher. Some also refer to it as a "lily of the valley tree" because of the blossoms that resemble the flower.
Sourwood honey is basically clear in color. When other honey is foraged simultaneously, it can change the color of the sourwood. Sourwood honey harvested at the beginning of the season can look different than honey harvested at the end of the blossom season. Even if there is a hint of other honeys foraged by the bees with the sourwood honey, its unique flavor shines through.
In mid-June, many beekeepers like myself will move colonies to the mountainous regions where these trees are in abundance. The rows of white, bell shaped flowers start to bloom, and the bees will start collecting nectar. Unfortunately, this is a time when the summer storms come through, and occasionally the high winds will knock the blossoms off the trees, and our season comes to an abrupt halt. The daily rain that sometimes happens also limits the amount of honey produced during that time, so suffice it to say that when we make sourwood honey, we feel fortunate.
Once the sourwood season is over, my colonies are moved back to my bee yards closer to home because that is usually the last crop in my area in Southeast Tennessee. The 90+ degree days working in the full sun in the sourwood yards takes a toll on a person, and I look forward to everything slowing down a bit after this final crop.
I look forward to the sourwood season every year, and enjoy visiting with the property owner where my bees are kept. It is not a crop I can depend on every year, so I feel fortunate when I am able to say I had a good Sourwood crop.
Sourwood honey is basically clear in color. When other honey is foraged simultaneously, it can change the color of the sourwood. Sourwood honey harvested at the beginning of the season can look different than honey harvested at the end of the blossom season. Even if there is a hint of other honeys foraged by the bees with the sourwood honey, its unique flavor shines through.
In mid-June, many beekeepers like myself will move colonies to the mountainous regions where these trees are in abundance. The rows of white, bell shaped flowers start to bloom, and the bees will start collecting nectar. Unfortunately, this is a time when the summer storms come through, and occasionally the high winds will knock the blossoms off the trees, and our season comes to an abrupt halt. The daily rain that sometimes happens also limits the amount of honey produced during that time, so suffice it to say that when we make sourwood honey, we feel fortunate.
Once the sourwood season is over, my colonies are moved back to my bee yards closer to home because that is usually the last crop in my area in Southeast Tennessee. The 90+ degree days working in the full sun in the sourwood yards takes a toll on a person, and I look forward to everything slowing down a bit after this final crop.
I look forward to the sourwood season every year, and enjoy visiting with the property owner where my bees are kept. It is not a crop I can depend on every year, so I feel fortunate when I am able to say I had a good Sourwood crop.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Appalachain Bee Honey is not ultra-filtered, keeping the pollens in the honey. We strain our honey to remove large particles, but the pollen stays in the honey! http://ping.fm/M45Gc
Monday, December 12, 2011
Free Honey from Appalachian Bee! Order $30 of products and receive a 5 oz. Tureen of Sourwood Honey Free! Order Now for Christmas, it's not too late. http://ping.fm/Xh4C9
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Saturday, December 10th from 9-2 Appalachian Bee will be selling our products at Brainerd United Methodist Church at 4315 Brainerd Rd in Chattanooga. Come and see all the good stuff! http://ping.fm/ydmg5
It's not too late to order your Christmas gifts. Take a look at our beautiful Honey Flasks that make a beautiful gift presentation. January is coming and we are gearing up for a new honey season. Can't wait for warm weather to work with the honeybees! http://ping.fm/emBVl
Monday, December 5, 2011
What is Propolis?
In the beekeeping world, propolis is known by a couple different names. Propolis, broken down as "pro" meaning before or in front of, and "polis" meaning city, loosely translates propolis as "defender of the city". Many call propolis bee glue, because this is one of the reasons bees gather/make propolis. Whatever you want to call it, Propolis acts as the natural defense and immune system of the colony.
Before we get into it's uses, lets define what propolis really is. Bees gather resins from plants and trees, and the varieties of the plants and trees vary according to your location. The bees carry these resins back to the colony on her legs, similar to how she brings pollen back to the colony.
The honeybee adds her enzymes and beeswax to the resins, and this magical mixture is propolis. The make up of propolis is as follows: 50% Resins; 30% Beeswax; 10% Essential Oils; 5% Pollen; 5% Other compounds. In the 5% other compounds, there are 300 components, some unidentifiable.
Now, the bees use propolis in various ways in the colony. First, they line the colony with propolis, to keep bacteria at bay. Imagine 60,000 bees in a small area, bacteria could easily grow in this environment. Propolis prevents this from happening. Second, they use propolis as a "glue" to close up any holes, or drafts in the colony. Third, if there are any intruders that make it into the colony that are too big for the bees to remove, they will propolize around the intruder, so it will not decay in the colony. And, the bees will use propolis to line the cell where the queen lays eggs so the egg can hatch and larvae can grow in a healthy environment.
Propolis has been used as a healer by man since ancient times. Hippocrates, ancient Egyptians and Romans all used propolis medicinally. Dr. Oz promotes the use of propolis as well.
I think the awareness of the benefits of propolis will continue to grow. You will be hearing more about this amazing product from the hive!
Before we get into it's uses, lets define what propolis really is. Bees gather resins from plants and trees, and the varieties of the plants and trees vary according to your location. The bees carry these resins back to the colony on her legs, similar to how she brings pollen back to the colony.
The honeybee adds her enzymes and beeswax to the resins, and this magical mixture is propolis. The make up of propolis is as follows: 50% Resins; 30% Beeswax; 10% Essential Oils; 5% Pollen; 5% Other compounds. In the 5% other compounds, there are 300 components, some unidentifiable.
Now, the bees use propolis in various ways in the colony. First, they line the colony with propolis, to keep bacteria at bay. Imagine 60,000 bees in a small area, bacteria could easily grow in this environment. Propolis prevents this from happening. Second, they use propolis as a "glue" to close up any holes, or drafts in the colony. Third, if there are any intruders that make it into the colony that are too big for the bees to remove, they will propolize around the intruder, so it will not decay in the colony. And, the bees will use propolis to line the cell where the queen lays eggs so the egg can hatch and larvae can grow in a healthy environment.
Propolis has been used as a healer by man since ancient times. Hippocrates, ancient Egyptians and Romans all used propolis medicinally. Dr. Oz promotes the use of propolis as well.
I think the awareness of the benefits of propolis will continue to grow. You will be hearing more about this amazing product from the hive!
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