Honey Bee Q&A

Question: In the collection of honey from the bee hives, is the health of the colony compromised? In other words, by taking their food source don't the bees die?

Reply: Professional beekeepers would not compromise the health of their bees. They are businessmen too. They depend on these creatures to give them honey on a continuous basis. Thus they have to be very careful not to hurt them and will always leave enough honey for their food. They make conscious effort to watch them all the time to ensure they’re okay. Remember, beekeepers have to keep a friendly long term relationship with their bees if they want to have enough honey to sell. Their job is to see that they are content.

Question: What are the by-products in honey production?

Reply: Some by-products in honey production include propolis, beewax, bee pollen, bee bread, and royal jelly. You may be interested to read this article Common Terms in the Honey Bees World

Question: Should I worry that my honey may have originated from bees that polinate crops that also have pesticides? Will the chemical residue from those pesticides make it from the bees to my honey when I eat it?

Reply: Where commercial crops are concerned, the use of pesticides are legally kept at a safe level, hence most people are still consuming "inorganic foods" (as opposed to expensive “organic” foods). All food supply are assumed to have been tested by various government departments before they reach your plate. Also, beekeepers operating apiaries in areas where pesticides take steps to protect their bees from poisoning. However, actually if you seriously think about it, all honey can in a way be argued as “organic”, as it's a product of the bee’s digestive track, the stuff they use to feed their larvae.

You may be interested to read this:

When honey is labelled as organic: What is Organic Honey?

Why people have equated “organic” to “healthy” and claim there is a taste difference between organic and regular, which I personally have not quite figured out: Why Some Prefer Organic Food

Question: Why should you not feed honey to children under 1 year old?

Reply: The reason for advising against the consumption of honey for children under 1 yr old has to do with the risk of food poisoning caused by botulinum spores in the honey. Read details in: Warning Note on Honey and Infant

Question: I am always looking for "unpasturized" on the label when I buy honey. However, is all unpasturized honey required to be labeled as such? I see many many honey products, claiming to be "natural". Can I to assume that all honey with no distinct label is pasteurized?

Reply: "Natural honey" is not equated with "unpasteurized"/"raw". "Natural honey" could mean unadulterated honey, i.e pure, not added with cane sugar, malt, glucose. Usually, indeed when honey is not labelled "unpasteurized", it is pasteurized, and nowadays most commercial honey is pasteurized (as opposed to honey you get from the local honey farm).

As for the "pasteurized" labelling, every country has their own regulation and requirement. I am not sure if you can find lots of honey labelled "unpasteurized" in the supermarkets, because I understand for some countries, the term "unpasteurized" label on honey is prohibited, and you can find the label "raw" instead. Unpasteurized honey is now mostly directly purchased from the local honey farms, which do not exist in places within easy reach for some people.

An article which you might want to read: Did You Know Reading Food Label Can Be So Tricky?

Question: How do you know if the honey is not 100% pure & natural since there are many brands could play lying though "pure honey" tag. Also, this is written by some honey brands "This honey contains not less than 60% of reducing sugars calculated as dextrose anhydrous"? What are they trying to tell?

Reply: There are no clear official definitions of what "pure and natural", hence manufacturers have much liberty when claiming what is pure and natural honey.

Not sure if you have read these articles before:

Beware, the Natural Food Rage is on!

Did You Know Reading Food Label Can Be So Tricky?

Some countries have honey labelling requirements such as "honey is to contain not less that X% reducing sugars and not more than X% moisture." Basically "reducing sugar" in food chemistry term, refers to glucose (dextrose anhydrous) and fructose, so indirectly, the label also indicates the presence of sucrose (table sugar), a non-reducing sugar.




Question: How do I weigh honey accurately without any mess?

Reply: To measure accurately liquid honey, you can first brush or rub a very thin layer of cooking oil on the inner walls of the measuring cup to prevent the honey from sticking to the cup. (Nowadays, there are also non-stick sprays in the market to replace the need to smear cooking oil onto surfaces.)

Question: How do you keep honey after you open a bottle? I find that my honey turns thick and gets sugary.

Reply: Honey turning thick and sugary is normal and rate of crystallisation varies for the different types of honey. But this doesn't affect the quality of honey. Just place the sugary bottle of honey over warm water to dissolve the granules. And, always keep your honey in an airtight container after use to prevent moisture from the environment from entering the honey.

Read more about Honey Storage

Question: What are the benefits of using the honey produced in your own area?

Reply: It is a popular belief that consuming honey produced in your own area could counteract and treat pollen allergies. Some people have reported taking local honey a little bit on a daily basis for several months before the pollen season has made them become tolerant of the allergies.

Ref: Honey Allergy?

Question: What are the yardsticks to know pure and natural honey?

Reply: Quality natural honey can be measured by: 1) Amount of water content (honey when exposed to air/humidity can absorb moisture from the environment.) Introduction of water can cause honey to turn bad. 2) Amount of processing (this can be measured by the amount of HMF)-- the lesser the better 3) Amount of adulteration with water, inverted sugars, etc -- pure honey is 100% unadulterated.

Ref: How to Choose Good Quality Honey

End of "Honey Bee Q&A". Back to "Amazing Honey Bee Facts".