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.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
What does local honey mean to you?
Most people believe that they should buy local honey to help their allergies. For some, if they can't get honey from their town/city, they don't want it. They believe there will be no benefit.
When it comes to purchasing honey for its allergy benefits, local can mean more than just the vicinity of where you live. Take, for example my location. I reside in Ocoee, Tennessee, and people from Chattanooga (35 miles away) think that I am just too far to purchase honey for its health benefits. Does Chattanooga have some mysterious floral sources (plants and trees) that we do not have here in Ocoee? No. In fact, the entire state has the same floral sources, and so do surrounding states.
Many of my customers purchase honey for its nutritional value. Honey loses its nutritional value when it is over heated. Large honey processors filter and overheat their honey for various reasons. They overheat the honey to slow the crystallization process. Would you purchase a jar of honey that is crystallized on the store shelf? And, these processors filter the honey to get the honey beautifully clear, however, this removes some of the pollens in the honey that provide the nutritional value you desire.
Many beekeepers will warm their honey for bottling purposes, but do not heat to extreme temperatures altering the nutritional value of the honey. Also, we do not filter our honey through fine filtration processes, we only strain the honey through course strainers that only remove beeswax, and other debris that does not belong. There is no build up of pollen in our straining process, which means the pollen stays in the honey.
So if you are purchasing honey for its nutritional value and the ability to help you during allergy season, first and foremost, it is most important that you buy honey that is not overheated, so the honey has not lost its nutritional value. Second, you can be concerned about where the honey comes from, however, it is not just your town or county, it is a multi state area, and has to do with the floral sources that the bees visit.
You are, however, doing a great thing by buying "local honey". You are supporting your local farmer. But, when it comes to nutritional value, ask the beekeeper if they filter or strain their honey (straining is ok), and how hot they heat their honey. I would consider it a red flag if they heat over 130 degrees.
Some people believe that if their honey crystallizes, it has gone bad, or has been tampered with. All honeys crystallize, with the exception of a rare few. It has to do with the variety of blossoms where the nectar is collected. Clover or goldenrod honey is quick to crystallize, tulip poplar is very slow and may take years to crystallize. Crystallization is not harmful nor a sign of deterioration. I will talk more about why honey crystallizes in another post.
A jar of my honey might crystallize on your shelf, but that is a good sign. That means it is not overheated and the nutritional value has not been compromised. To re-liquify a jar of honey, heat a pan of water, take off the stove and place jar in water. (This may take several times). Do not store your honey in the refrigerator, this will expedite the crystallization process. Keep at room temperature or warmer.
HoneyBees Rock!
When it comes to purchasing honey for its allergy benefits, local can mean more than just the vicinity of where you live. Take, for example my location. I reside in Ocoee, Tennessee, and people from Chattanooga (35 miles away) think that I am just too far to purchase honey for its health benefits. Does Chattanooga have some mysterious floral sources (plants and trees) that we do not have here in Ocoee? No. In fact, the entire state has the same floral sources, and so do surrounding states.
Many of my customers purchase honey for its nutritional value. Honey loses its nutritional value when it is over heated. Large honey processors filter and overheat their honey for various reasons. They overheat the honey to slow the crystallization process. Would you purchase a jar of honey that is crystallized on the store shelf? And, these processors filter the honey to get the honey beautifully clear, however, this removes some of the pollens in the honey that provide the nutritional value you desire.
Many beekeepers will warm their honey for bottling purposes, but do not heat to extreme temperatures altering the nutritional value of the honey. Also, we do not filter our honey through fine filtration processes, we only strain the honey through course strainers that only remove beeswax, and other debris that does not belong. There is no build up of pollen in our straining process, which means the pollen stays in the honey.
So if you are purchasing honey for its nutritional value and the ability to help you during allergy season, first and foremost, it is most important that you buy honey that is not overheated, so the honey has not lost its nutritional value. Second, you can be concerned about where the honey comes from, however, it is not just your town or county, it is a multi state area, and has to do with the floral sources that the bees visit.
You are, however, doing a great thing by buying "local honey". You are supporting your local farmer. But, when it comes to nutritional value, ask the beekeeper if they filter or strain their honey (straining is ok), and how hot they heat their honey. I would consider it a red flag if they heat over 130 degrees.
Some people believe that if their honey crystallizes, it has gone bad, or has been tampered with. All honeys crystallize, with the exception of a rare few. It has to do with the variety of blossoms where the nectar is collected. Clover or goldenrod honey is quick to crystallize, tulip poplar is very slow and may take years to crystallize. Crystallization is not harmful nor a sign of deterioration. I will talk more about why honey crystallizes in another post.
A jar of my honey might crystallize on your shelf, but that is a good sign. That means it is not overheated and the nutritional value has not been compromised. To re-liquify a jar of honey, heat a pan of water, take off the stove and place jar in water. (This may take several times). Do not store your honey in the refrigerator, this will expedite the crystallization process. Keep at room temperature or warmer.
HoneyBees Rock!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Spring Pollens - My favorite time of year!
The spring pollens will be flowing from the trees soon. The bees have been bringing in plant pollens aggressively in the south for the past month. The reported pollen counts on the nightly news have been climbing, and they will only climb higher once the trees start blossoming.
Although many suffer from the high pollen counts, it is a favorite time of year for me, and the bees. The excessive pollen that is produced is a time for the honeybees to get to work. You see, pollen is baby food. The main reason honeybees bring in pollen is to feed young larvae. The abundance of pollen in a colony is a sign for the hive to start laying young, to start growing for the honey flow. Sometimes the bees bring in so much pollen, they leave little room for the queen to lay. This is one of the reasons for spring swarming, we call it pollen bound. It is one of the many jobs for a beekeeper, to make sure the colony has room for the queen to lay eggs.
Late hot summers and dry weather slows up the pollens being produced and brought into colonies. The lack of pollen being brought in then slows up brood production in a colony. They do not need the high populations to gather nectar, so the size of the colony will recede.
Yellow, red, purple, white, black, green, orange. No, not the colors of the rainbow, the color of various pollens being brought into the colony. Cars covered in pollen dust. Yellow rivers of water flowing when it rains. Love it. Honeybees Rock!
Although many suffer from the high pollen counts, it is a favorite time of year for me, and the bees. The excessive pollen that is produced is a time for the honeybees to get to work. You see, pollen is baby food. The main reason honeybees bring in pollen is to feed young larvae. The abundance of pollen in a colony is a sign for the hive to start laying young, to start growing for the honey flow. Sometimes the bees bring in so much pollen, they leave little room for the queen to lay. This is one of the reasons for spring swarming, we call it pollen bound. It is one of the many jobs for a beekeeper, to make sure the colony has room for the queen to lay eggs.
Late hot summers and dry weather slows up the pollens being produced and brought into colonies. The lack of pollen being brought in then slows up brood production in a colony. They do not need the high populations to gather nectar, so the size of the colony will recede.
Yellow, red, purple, white, black, green, orange. No, not the colors of the rainbow, the color of various pollens being brought into the colony. Cars covered in pollen dust. Yellow rivers of water flowing when it rains. Love it. Honeybees Rock!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Bees are bringing in red pollen today. Temp is about 60 degrees, and the bees are active. It's a good thing and a bad thing for them. They are more active and eat more, but risk starvation if they do not have enough honey stores to support the population. http://ping.fm/x7gCf
Thursday, January 12, 2012
What's the difference between honey and wildflower honey?
Honey is a general term used for the sweet nectar the bees gather and bring back to the colony for sustenance. Some beekeepers call this product honey, and others can determine the floral source that the majority of the crop has been produced from.
When a flower blooms and produces nectar (not all flowers produce nectar), the flavors will all be distinctive to its botanical variety. A sourwood blossom's nectar will taste different from a crimson clover nectar, or a tupelo honey nectar.
Bees will generally visit the same variety of flowers to collect nectar, however when a honey flow is on from several floral sources at the same time, some bees will visit one variety, and some the other varieties. This will result in a blended honey of multiple floral sources. Many novice beekeepers just call all their product "honey". Experienced beekeepers can differentiate the flavors in the honey, and frequently one of the varieties of honey can be a majority. In the case when one flavor dominates the blend, the beekeeper will call the honey by the dominant flavor (it's floral variety).
It is quite difficult or impossible to have a honey that is 100% one floral variety. That would mean the bees only visited one type of flower during it's bloom season. Unfortunately we cannot tell our bees where to forage.
Wildflower honey is gathered from a variety of wildflower blossoms. The honey is usually darker in color, with a stronger, bolder flavor. It is a favorite of mine over mild honey because of this bolder flavor. If I have a variety of honey that I cannot differentiate the floral sources it contains, I might just call it "Honey". It's not a bad thing, just a generalized term. In my area, I am aware of most of the honey flows that my bees are foraging.
Honey is regional. So depending on where you are located in North America, or anywhere in the world for that matter, you will be exposed to different varieties of honey. I would encourage you to try different varieties of honey, keeping in mind that generally darker honeys are stronger in flavor, and lighter honeys tend to be milder.
Visit HoneyBeesRock.com to see my varieties of Honey! And, yes, Honeybees do ROCK!
When a flower blooms and produces nectar (not all flowers produce nectar), the flavors will all be distinctive to its botanical variety. A sourwood blossom's nectar will taste different from a crimson clover nectar, or a tupelo honey nectar.
Bees will generally visit the same variety of flowers to collect nectar, however when a honey flow is on from several floral sources at the same time, some bees will visit one variety, and some the other varieties. This will result in a blended honey of multiple floral sources. Many novice beekeepers just call all their product "honey". Experienced beekeepers can differentiate the flavors in the honey, and frequently one of the varieties of honey can be a majority. In the case when one flavor dominates the blend, the beekeeper will call the honey by the dominant flavor (it's floral variety).
It is quite difficult or impossible to have a honey that is 100% one floral variety. That would mean the bees only visited one type of flower during it's bloom season. Unfortunately we cannot tell our bees where to forage.
Wildflower honey is gathered from a variety of wildflower blossoms. The honey is usually darker in color, with a stronger, bolder flavor. It is a favorite of mine over mild honey because of this bolder flavor. If I have a variety of honey that I cannot differentiate the floral sources it contains, I might just call it "Honey". It's not a bad thing, just a generalized term. In my area, I am aware of most of the honey flows that my bees are foraging.
Honey is regional. So depending on where you are located in North America, or anywhere in the world for that matter, you will be exposed to different varieties of honey. I would encourage you to try different varieties of honey, keeping in mind that generally darker honeys are stronger in flavor, and lighter honeys tend to be milder.
Visit HoneyBeesRock.com to see my varieties of Honey! And, yes, Honeybees do ROCK!
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!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
What bees do in the winter
I am often asked "What do honeybees do in the winter?" They pretty much do what you and I do actually. Hang out, eat, and wait for spring. Their muscles do not work under 47 degrees, so when the temperature is below 47, they form a cluster in the colony, like a big basketball, surrounding the frames where there is food. The center of the cluster is kept around 74 degrees, and these bees can move about and consume the honey to thrive. The bees on the outside cannot reach the food source, so the bees on the inside will take turns and go to the outside of the cluster. If there are larva or brood (young bees in development stage) in the cells of the comb, they will keep this temperature at about 94 degrees, otherwise the larva or brood will not survive. Bees can generate a great deal of body heat. Remember, honey equals energy to the bees, and if they do not have enough food source in the colony, they cannot survive. It is late November and I noticed some of my bees bringing in pollen the other day. I had seen some dandelion blooming, so they will work if there is work to be done if the temperature is warm enough. Honeybees Rock!
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