Why bee honey in a honeycomb and why it is better than the honey in a jar?
Honeycomb The natural packing of honey is its wax casing, called honeycomb. Bees preserve the honey in small wax cells, where it is capped very well and does not interact with air, moisture and microorganisms, thus ensuring a preservation for a long time. Unlike the honey in a jar, the honey in a honeycomb is absolutely sterile, it had no contact with the uncapping knife, the centrifuge for honey extraction, storage containers, no interaction with air, moisture, etc. That is why the honey in a honeycomb is preserved in absolutely natural state. When you consume honey in a honeycomb, in fact you consume honey, wax and propolis, and sometimes bee pollen. The honey gum (another name for the honeycomb) has a distinct anti-inflammatory and revitalizing effects to the body, has a favorable effect on the mucous membranes and the respiratory tract.
How do we harvest honey in the honeycomb and why is it more expensive than the honey in a jar?
Honeycomb Modern beekeeping requires the use of a beehive frame with wired wax foundations. The wax, however, is not suitable for human consumption. The goal is for bees to construct honeycomb on a frame, thus saving half of their work on constructing the wax foundation on which they construct their cells. So the bees do not lose time to construct, but rather use their time to produce more honey.
For the purposes of harvesting honey in a honeycomb, however, the use of wired wax foundation is not allowed. Instead, empty frames are used, which the bees construct entirely by themselves and that is the so-called wild honeycomb (natural honeycomb). Wild honeycomb means less honey as a whole, because constructing of honeycombs requires not only more effort but also an increased consumption of honey from the bees, which ensures their energy so they can secrete wax and work on constructing honeycombs. Also, taking the honey out the hive is especially time-consuming because the honeycombs without wire and wax are quite brittle. Transport and storage is complicated as well. Due to the lower yields and production difficulties, honey in the honeycomb is more expensive compared to the honey in a jar. On the other hand, this is a very special product, the perfect dessert of natural origin and it totally worth it.
When is honey in a honeycomb harvested and is there a shelf life?
The honey in the honeycomb is harvested in spring and summer when the bees bring nectar and process it into honey. Some types of spring honey remain in a liquid state inside the honeycomb for months, even years. Other types of honey crystallize quickly after removal from the hive and the honey becomes creamy inside the comb. Storing is made in well closed containers, at a cool place. If well stored, the honey in a honeycomb practically has endless shelf life.
What tests do we make of honey?
The different types of honey, harvested at different times of the year, differ both in aroma and taste, and in chemical composition.
The vast majority of the plants from which the bees collect honey are medicinal plants. Honey absorbs the nutritional and medicinal properties of plants, and that is why each type of honey has its typical therapeutic effect. For this, we make analysis of each batch of harvested honey, so we can keep you informed of what plant bees have brought the nectar to make honey.
Each batch of harvested honey is tested in a licensed laboratory. We study the main honey features as a total Ingredients of fructose and glucose, sucrose, diastase activity, hydroxymethylfurfural, pollen analysis, etc.
"Whoever stands in need of honey should not be afraid of bees." - Africаn Proverb
