When the weather turns warm, propolis can string into fragrant tendrils like fresh-from-the-oven mozzarella cheese. When cold, it can shatter like bone china, yielding knife-sharp shards. In especially hot seasons, it can run like water down the inside of hive walls before hardening into translucent droplets that glisten like gemstones. As fascinating as propolis is, […] Read more
At the end of the season, I have buckets of wax comb waiting for me in the shed. I always think I will make holiday candles, but I find rendering beeswax really intimidating. Even before I begin, I’m convinced I will set the house on fire, or at least ruin everything I touch. My beeswax […] Read more
As we all know, honey is made from the nectar of flowers. But when push comes to shove, honey bees will collect sweet liquid of endless variety. Several weeks ago, after describing the purple honey I received from a beekeeper in South Carolina, I received many opinions about what was really in the jar. My […] Read more
I thought pigs would fly before I ever tasted purple honey. But here’s the funny thing: last week a small jar of the precious liquid arrived in my mail box, compliments of Flying Pig Apiary in Durham, North Carolina. So either I was wrong or it’s time to wear pig shields! A week earlier beekeeper […] Read more
You’ve heard the rumors, right? Honey never goes bad, it’s been found in Egyptian tombs ready to eat, and it’s the only cure for some antibiotic-resistant bacteria. You may wonder if any of this is true, and if so, why. Let’s look at some of the details. Since the beginning of recorded history, honey has […] Read more
Many beekeepers are dismayed to find a whitish coating on their beeswax. The powdery substance may occur on blocks of rendered beeswax and candles, or it may arise on foundation, stored combs, or on honeycomb cappings. Sometimes it is snow white, and at other times it appears faintly purple or mauve. Beekeepers wonder if the […] Read more
Editor’s Note: This post is presented by StickerYou.com. StickerYou makes every kind of sticker and label you can imagine, including stickers for your honey jars. For the record, I have no financial interest in running this article. The simple truth is I never outgrew my childhood love of stickers. My mom even had to buy […] Read more