Hive Products

Honey is the first and foremost product people associate with beekeeping. And to this day, harvesting honey is my favorite part of the beekeeping hobby. However, there is a lot more going on in, and coming out of a hive!

In addition to honey, bees produce a fine wax that has been recognized for its superiority qualities and varied applications. While I don’t primarily produce beeswax, I do end up with a substantial amount just due to the nature of hive maintenance. I process and cast this wax myself and occasionally offer it for sale.

Propolis is a more rarely seen substance in a bee’s tool kit. It is a combination of beeswax and sap gathered by the bees. The result is typically brown, very sticky substance that hardens at a wider range of temperatures than wax. Bees generally use it to seal their hives, keeping out weather and occasionally to seal up foreign objects in their hives. Humans typically use it medicinally, as a chewing gum base and in the treatment of musical instruments.

Contrary to popular belief, bees can’t live on honey alone. Pollen is extremely important. Bees get simple sugars, protein, minerals & vitamins, and fatty acids from the pollen they collect. Its so important that the tiny beads of pollen they create and store are sometimes called “bee bread”. Colors vary widely by region and season, and you can tell a lot about your bees foraging habits by examining the pollen they’ve stored in their hives.

You’ve probably heard of “royal jelly” and may even know a little about its role in bee development. Consumed in large amounts, it triggers the development of an ordinary worker larvae into a queen. It is very resource intensive for the hive and difficult to harvest, so I do not offer it.