What is honey?

Why are there white flakes on top of my honey?

Does it matter how I store my honey

Is all honey the same?

Is Crystalized honey spoiled?

How can I make crystalized honey liquid again?

What is "creamed honey"?

Will the bees be ok if
we take their honey?

Is honey scientifically proven to help a sore throat?

Is honey scientifically proven to treat other infections?

What about eating honey to help with allergies?

What is propolis?

Is there really such a thing as Organic Honey?

Where has Carl been?

Observation Hive set up at LICM

Public Access TV

LI Fair Honey Judge

Tishrei Delight

CSTL @ Tanglewood Camp

AMNH Global Kitchens

National Constitution Center

LI Small Farm Summit

Locust Valley Garden Club

Girl Scouts of Nassau County

Maker Faire, NYC

Family Science Night

CSTL Earth Day

Philadelphia Horticultural Society

Langstroth Bicentennial Kickoff

Carl's videos of Professor Tom Seeley's work with swarming bees....

Read Carl's Blog....

What is honey?

Honey is the substance made when the nectar and sweet deposits from plants are gathered, modified and stored in the honeycomb by honey bees. Honey is highly stable against microbial growth because of its low water activity, low moisture content, low pH, and antimicrobial constituents. Unheated (raw) honey is therefore a safe fresh product as long as these conditions are maintained.

Why are there white flakes on top of my honey?

If you see a group of white flakes on top of your honey when you open the jar that is likely to be beeswax. Unfiltered honey can have some wax on top. Since wax is lighter than the honey, it always floats to the top. Some people like to buy honey with honeycomb in it, and chew the wax like gum.

Does it matter how I store my honey?

Honey stored in properly sealed containers can remain stable for decades and even centuries! I feel that glass jars offer the best protection. However, honey is susceptible to physical and chemical changes during storage; it tends to darken and lose its aroma and flavor. The recommended storage temperature for unprocessed honey is below 50°F (10°C). The ideal temperature for both unprocessed and processed honey is below 32°F (0°C). Cooler temperatures best preserve the aroma, flavor and color of unprocessed honey.

Cool temperatures [below 50°F (10°C)] are ideal for preventing crystallization. Moderate temperatures [50-70°F (10-21°C)] generally encourage crystallization. Warm temperatures [70-81°F (21-27°C)] discourage crystallization but degrade the honey.

Is all honey the same?

Honey is characterized by color, taste, aroma, moisture content and degree of processing, for starters. In many respects, each batch of honey is as different as the flowers the bees visit.

Is Crystalized honey spoiled?

Honey is highly stable against microbial growth because of its low water activity, low moisture content, low pH, and antimicrobial constituents. Unheated, unfiltered honey is more likely to crystalize than processed honey. Storage of honey in air-tight, moisture-resistant containers at temperatures below 50°F (10°C) are ideal to prevent crystalization.

Honey crystallizes because it is a supersaturated solution. This supersaturated state occurs because there is so much sugar in honey (more than 70%) relative to the water content (often less than 20%). Glucose normally tends to precipitate out of solution and the solution changes to the more stable, saturated crystaline state.Crystallization can become a problem when the crystaline honey separates leaving a pool of liquid honey with a high moisture content. Liquid honey with a high moisture content is more susceptible to fermentation. Fermentation of honey is used to produce mead, one of the world’s oldest fermented beverages.

It is also possible to induce and control crystallization to produce creamed honey. This process yields very fine crystals and a smooth product with a peanut butter-like texture.

How can I make crystalized honey liquid again?

Crystallization may be reversed by heating which “melts” the crystals. Honey can be exposed to temperatures between 81-104°F (27-40°C) for periods of hours; however, heat damage is cumulative so heat exposure should be limited. Generally speaking, the higher the temperature at which the honey is kept, the faster the crystals will melt. The balance between temperature and time is a complex, personal choice the user must make.

What is "creamed honey"?

"Creamed honey is one of the finest hive products available. It has a mild flavor, spreads like butter at ordinary room temperature, and unlike liquid honey, it doesn’t drip. Creamed honey is really crystallized or granulated honey. Well-made creamed honey possesses a creamy texture because the crystallization process has been precisely controlled. Unfortunately, creamed honey is usually one of the least promoted products in a beekeeper’s product line. This situation can be traced, in part, to the fact that most crystallized honey is produced through a natural or uncontrolled process that usually results in large, coarse crystals that are hard, difficult to spread, and not especially palatable. Professor Elton J. Dyce, while at Cornell University, learned to control the crystallization process and to produce an extremely fine-grained creamed honey...."

Will the bees be ok if we take their honey?

"Centuries of selective breeding by humans have created honey bees that produce far more honey than the colony needs. Beekeepers provide a place for the colony to live and to store honey in and harvest that extra honey. It is in the beekeepers' interest to maintain strong colonies."

Is honey scientifically proven to treat a sore throat?

"Now that the safety and effectiveness of children’s cough medicines are in question, what can parents do to help their child deal with a troublesome cough?

A study published in December, 2007, by a Penn State College of Medicine research team found that honey may offer parents an effective and safe alternative. The study found that a small dose of buckwheat honey given before bedtime provided better relief of nighttime cough and sleep difficulty in children than no treatment or dextromethorphan (DM), a cough suppressant found in many over-the-counter cold medications.
Honey did a better job reducing the severity, frequency and bothersome nature of nighttime cough from upper respiratory infection than DM or no treatment. Honey also showed a positive effect on the sleep quality of both the coughing child and the child’s parents...."

Is honey scientifically proven to treat other infections?

There is a growing body of research in this area. Here's one link.

What about eating honey to help with allergies?

Here's the best article I've seen on this topic, yet.

What is propolis?

Sometimes Wikipedia really is the best place to go:
"Propolis is a resinous mixture that honey bees collect from tree buds, sap flows, or other botanical sources. It is used as a sealant for unwanted open spaces in the hive. Propolis is used for small gaps (approximately 6 millimeters (0.2 in) or less), while larger spaces are usually filled with beeswax. Its color varies depending on its botanical source, the most common being dark brown. Propolis is sticky at and above room temperature (20° Celsius). At lower temperatures it becomes hard and very brittle...."

2011

Below is a series of ten videos shot by Carl at Prof. Tom Seeley's Bee Yard in Cornell in June 2010.

To listen to Tom & Prof. May Berenbaum talk to Ira Flatow on ScienceFriday on the eve of Lorenzo Langstroth's 200th birthday, December 24, 2010, follow the link below these videos.

1

Why Bees Swarm.

2

Dance of the House-hunters

3

Waggle with Enthusiasm

4

Piping & Buzzing

5

Gone in 60 Seconds

6

Remarkable Scout Bees

7

Mission Aborted

8

Warm & Fuzzy

9

Wax Six-Packs

10

Gentle Bees