Owen's Honey Hive

07/10/2025

Some food (specifically honey) for thought. I have a few jars left that you can order through www.OwensHoneyHive.com

Did you know the USDA has no official standards to certify honey as organic?

That’s right—there are no USDA guidelines for organic honey production. Because of this, no U.S. beekeeper can legally label their honey as “USDA Organic.”

Now you might be thinking, “But I see organic honey at the grocery store all the time!”
You’re not wrong. That USDA Organic seal is real—but it’s a certification for imported honey. Since there are no U.S. standards, the USDA defers to organic certifications from other countries like Brazil, Mexico, or India. So, if you see a USDA Organic label on honey, chances are it came from overseas.

Here’s another label that can be misleading:
“U.S. Grade A Honey”
Sounds like it’s American, right? Not necessarily. This grade just refers to characteristics like clarity, color, aroma, and absence of defects. It has nothing to do with where the honey is from. If you look closely at the label—usually in tiny print—you’ll likely see it was sourced from Brazil, Argentina, or another distant country.

So how do you shop smart when it comes to honey?
Look for these three things:
• Raw
• Unfiltered
• Local (ideally from within a 50-mile radius)

Most big-brand grocery store honey won’t advertise if it’s been filtered—but if it’s unfiltered and raw, you’ll usually see that proudly on the label.

What’s the difference between filtered and unfiltered honey?
Filtered honey is heated and strained to remove pollen, wax, and other particles. This gives it a smooth, clear look, but the downside is that it often destroys the natural enzymes and nutrients. Filtered honey rarely crystallizes and may even be “ultra-filtered,” which removes all pollen—raising the question: is it even honey at that point?

Of course, not all grocery store honey is bad. But when possible:
• Know your beekeeper
• Buy in small batches
• Support local producers
• Choose American honey

Do good. Eat better. Support your local bees. 🐝

06/28/2025

Recently, the Clarion-Ledger Newspaper published an article about Africanized Honey Bees (AHB), erroneously stating that they can be found im Mississippi. This is false. While there have been isolated incidents in the past, we have not had AHB in Mississippi in many years. I've shared a reel from the the Mississippi State University Extension expert who explains further the AHB situation in our state. Our honey bees are a huge asset to our agriculture and should not be feared.

05/18/2025

Some fun bee facts.

04/13/2025

This looks about right. 🤣

03/30/2025

Some bee science for this rainy afternoon.

06/22/2024

Getting ready to extract our second harvest of the season. Hope it turns out as well as our last (pictured here).

06/15/2024

And...We Have Honey!

The Latest Happenings with Owen's Honey Hive

05/10/2024

We've added to our bee family! Last week we transferred two nucs to our news hives. Plus! The split we thought didn't make it has brood, so now we're up to 5 colonies. We're also trying something new this year. While we love our horizontal hives, we've decided to try insulated hives from HiveIQ (Hi Zavier!). Since the bees won't have to work as hard keeping cool during our hot Mississippi summers, they'll be able to spend more time making honey.

04/07/2024

Check out my blog post https://wix.to/KI2zfnL

The Latest Happenings with Owen's Honey Hive (And an Answer to the Big Question -- Will We Have Honey Soon?)We know we've been quiet over the last months, and for that we apologize. It's been a busy winter between getting our bees ready for the Spring, work and school. Now that Spring is here, we're...

02/27/2024

A few weeks ago we checked on our bees. Apparently when we previously checked the hives we forgot to cover the frames before closing the lid. When we opened the hive back up this is what we found. The ladies certainly know how to stay busy.