JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri honey bees have been storing nectar and turning it into sweet golden honey the last several weeks!! Beekeepers will soon start to harvest this sweet golden honey.
Have you ever thought about the honey harvest process? Bees have the great ability to gather and store much more honey than they need. Beekeepers know this and remove excess frames of bees wax comb that is full of honey to start the harvesting process.
The bees wax comb serves as a storage container for the honey. Beekeepers use different techniques to remove the caps of the comb, lower the frames into an extractor and spin the honey out of the comb. The spinning provides a centrifugal force that throws the honey out of the comb and to the inside of the honey extractor. From there the honey slowly flows down into a storage compartment. The honey may pass through fine sieves before bottling, but that is a short summary of the honey harvesting process.
Local honey is one of the best natural foods you can eat!! If you are looking for a source of local Missouri honey, take an internet trip to the Missouri State Beekeepers Association’s website: https://mostatebeekeepers.org/local-honey-finder/.
If there are no local beekeepers listed for your area, check out the local clubs (https://mostatebeekeepers.org/local-clubs/) map. Oftentimes the local beekeeping clubs have their own local honey source list. Also consider stopping by your local Farmers Market. Beekeepers across the state are ready to sell you this delightful natural sweetener.
If you have any questions, please contact MSBA at: showmethegold@mostatebeekeepers.org.