How the honey you enjoy gets from the hive to your home!
Beekeeping is an age-old craft that has changed through the years with new methods and technology. The process of harvesting honey, which is fascinating in itself, is actually not even the most important benefit of honey bees.
“Honey bees’ primary purpose is pollinating crops and ornamental flowers – estimates are that bees are responsible for one-third of every bite we take,” said Sallie Lee, a beekeeper who watches bee hives at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. "Harvesting honey is second in importance along with other products from hives, such as wax, propolis, pollen and royal jelly."
According to Ben Woodham, a beekeeper in Montgomery, the best honey is locally sourced and non-processed.
"Most store-bought honey isn’t the real thing," said Woodham. "Large-scale honey producers usually heat the honey and process it, taking away some of the health benefits of all-natural, local honey."
If you were to heed Woodham's warning and buy all-natural, local honey from a smaller-scale beekeeper, it would come from a harvesting process consisting of approximately five steps.
Step one is to calm the bees by blowing smoke into the hive. This is necessary if the bees are more active and prone to sting the beekeeper.
Step two is to remove the lid from the box that houses the hive, remove the wooden frames that the bees use as a base from which to build their honeycomb. After the combed frames are removed, the beekeeper gently shakes any bees off the frame.
Step three is to cut the honeycomb off of the frames using a knife and put it into a bowl or some other kind of container.
Step four is to break up the honeycomb and squeeze out the honey by hand into a separate container. After this is done, the honey is poured through a secondary strainer to pick out any smaller bits that might have fallen in with the honey during the straining by hand.
The final step is bottling the honey that will eventually make its way into your coffee, onto your biscuits or however else you prefer to consume honey.
Once you get your hands on the sometimes-elusive pure local honey, you do not have to worry about using it by a certain date.
“It’s OK to purchase and store honey as it does not go bad,” said Lee. “It has an indefinite shelf life – very fascinating.”
Contact our Shelby County Regional Extension Agents for more information:
Nelson Wynn - 205-438-3725
Sallie Lee - 205-739-1683
The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M and Auburn Universities), is an equal opportunity employer and educator. Everyone is welcome!