My 3 Apimaye hives, etc.
Welcome to
www.PaulMikkelsen.com/Personal/Bees
Beekeeping Resources
for Honey Bees

Hopefully helpful...     surely not comprehensive.
Contact:

Honey, drone & worker brood

Web
Pages:
  • My personal list of Web Bookmarks
  • Types of Beehives - I list over 40 types!
  • Educational videos from Perfect Bee
  • Calendar - for Florida (USA) Beekeeping
  • Literature - Publications, Blogs, etc.
  • Terminology and Acronyms
  • HOW to buy a Queen Bee
  • HOW to choose a hive TYPE
  • Jamie Ellis' "Field Guide to Beekeeping"
  • YouTube channels plus films & documentaries
  • FaceBook's Groups on Beekeeping
  • Honey Labels, Facts, and Laws
  • My Hive Removals & Swarm Captures
  • Bee College - Agendas, Notes & Teacher Presentations - 2020
  • My Personal Library of Books and Literature
  • Beginning Beekeepers - check-in here!


  • Worldwide Honey Labels and Florida (USA) Honey Laws

  • Bottling, Labeling, and Selling Honey in Florida - including Cottage Laws
  • 2013 Florida Statutes Chapter 586: Honey Certification and Honey Bees - links to sections of FS Ch 586
  • and All of FS Ch 586 - for easy printing in its entirety
  • FDACS 5K-4.027 Standard of Identity – Honey. - FDACS = Florida Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services
  • FDACS-P-01979 Honey Standards brochure - Florida
  • The American Honey Producers Association - AHPA
  • How to Recognize And Test Pure Honey?
  • Retail Honey Labeling State to State (revised 2020) - by Wyatt Wells; any state in the USA!

  • Some Facts About Honey
    "RAW" honey is unfiltered and unpasteurized (it may be "sieved", typically on a 400-mesh screen).
  • What Are the Differences Between Raw, Pure, and Natural Honey?
  • How are raw honey and regular honey different?

  • Natural = no artificial additives;   Pure = no additives whatsoever (even natural ones);   Raw = no additives or processing

    Honey should not be consumed by people less than 2 years old.     Honey should not be refrigerated.
    To be labelled as a monofloral honey (e.g., Orange Blossom Honey), it must be tested and be composed of at least 51% from that flower.
    Honey will keep "forever", but ONLY IF first properly dehydrated by the bees (<18% water) & later properly maintained by people.
    Honey begins its transformation from nectar via dehydration by the bees. The nectar starts at 80% to 95% water and becomes honey at about 18%.
  • 20 Amazing Honey Bee Facts! - many more facts about honey!



  • All honey labels shown below were on honey that I personally tasted!
    The ONE honey that really stood out among the crowd, for taste, was from Ketchikan, Alaska: the Salmonberry!

    Frontside and Backside Labels  
    Frontside and Backside Labels
     
    Windham, Maine;   16.0% H2O
       

    Of all these that I tasted, THIS ONE WAS THE BEST!
    www.OnceInAbluemoose.com, Ketchikan, AK;   15.5% H2O
    Also: Tongass Trading Company

     
    Union, Washington;   17.0% H2O
       
    Loxahatchee, Florida;   17.0% H2O

     
    Anchorage, Alaska;   15.5% H2O
       
    www.BeeMadeUSA.com, Fort Pierce, FL;   16.5% H2O



     
    www.beerenberg.com.au, Hahndorf, South Australia;   16.5% H2O
    Interestingly, there is a prepared (PD) and expiration (EX) date.
    Also interesting is that the label states "Gluten Free", when ALL honey is gluten free.



       
    HoneyFeast.com, Groveland, FL;   19.5% H2O



       
    www.AlaskaSimplePleasures.com Sitka, AK;   15.5% H2O
    NOTE: I'm not sure why the "ingredients" list "honey"...   maybe this jar actually contains real honey.
    Typically, there is no honey in "Fireweed Honey" (aka Homesteader's Honey, aka Homesteader's Fireweed Honey)...
    ...it is made totally by man, not by bees! Yes, there are several Fireweed Honey recipes that do not include honey!



    Images of Honey bottles with frontside label only


    Gardens.USF.edu
    Univ. of S. Florida; Tampa, FL
    18.0% H2O
       
    www.DandJapiary.com
    Umatilla, FL
    17.0% H2O
       
    Struthers' Honey, Inc.
    Lake Wales, FL
    17.5% H2O
       
    BeeKings.com
    Willamatte Valley, Ellensberg, WA
    16.0% H2O




    "Eden's Nectar" Flavored & Creamed Honey
    West Central Florida Beekeeper's Co-op; Land O Lakes, FL;   EdensNectar.com
    Left to Right:   16.0% H2O;   16.5% H2O;   17.0% H2O
    Close-ups of the Raspberry label
       




    "Eden's Seasonal Raw Honey
    West Central Florida Beekeeper's Co-op; Land O Lakes, FL;   EdensNectar.com
    Left to Right:   15.0% H2O;   15.5% H2O;   16.5% H2O;   16.0% H2O




    WoodringNorthwest.com;   Woodring Canyon, in the small town of Cashmere, Washington
      Left to Right:   14.5% H2O;   15.0% H2O;   14.5% H2O;   15.5% H2O



       
    Hedgesville, West Virginia;   17.0% H2O