September is National Honey Month!

September is officially here, and at Mānoa Honey & Mead, that means one thing: it is time to celebrate National Honey Month (and pumpkin spice lattes sweetened with honey, of course!).

September was chosen to mark the end of the honey harvest season across much of the United States. It is a moment to slow down, appreciate the incredible craftsmanship of our buzzing pollinators, and honor the rich, liquid gold that connects us to the land.

Whether you enjoy a drizzle of raw honey over your morning toast or love sipping a glass of craft mead with good friends, there is so much to marvel at when it comes to honey bees. To kick off the festivities, let's explore some fascinating facts about these hardworking creatures and what makes honey production in Hawaiʻi truly unique.

Honey & Bee Facts That Will Amaze You

Honeybees are small, but their impact on our ecosystem and food systems is massive.

Here's some hive wisdom (aka fun facts!) that remind us just how special bees are:

1. The Lifework of a Single Bee During her entire lifetime, an individual worker bee produces only about 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey. To craft just one pound of honey, a hive of bees must visit approximately two million flowers and fly around 55,000 miles. That is the equivalent of circling the globe twice! Every drop in your jar represents the collective dedication of thousands of bees working together in perfect harmony.

   
   

2. A Recipe That Literally Never Expires

   Because of its low moisture content and naturally acidic pH, pure raw honey does not spoil. Archaeologists have discovered pots of honey in ancient Egyptian tombs that are over 3,000 years old and still perfectly edible.

   
   

3. The Waggle Dance

   Bees communicate with one another using a series of precise movements known as the "waggle dance." By performing this dance inside the dark hive, a foraging bee can inform her nestmates of the exact direction, distance, and quality of a flower patch miles away.

   
   

4. An Efficient Queen

   After mating during her early adult life, a queen stores sperm from multiple drones (male bees) in her spermatheca and can use it to fertilize eggs for years. In addition, by controlling whether sperm is released onto an egg as it passes through her reproductive tract, she can produce an unfertilized male egg or a fertilized female egg. The choice is all hers!

   
   

5. Don't Be Mad!

   Bees collecting nectar from certain plants (such as the Ericaceae family, specifically species within the genus Rhododendron) can produce “mad honey,” which contains grayanotoxins. Consuming enough can cause dizziness, vomiting, low blood pressure, and other toxic effects. Yikes! Mad honey is mostly produced in Nepal or Turkey.

The Sweet Side of Hawaiʻi: Island Bee Facts

While bees are fascinating everywhere, keeping bees and harvesting honey in Hawai'i comes with its own unique microclimates and botanical wonders.

1. Year-Round Foraging in Paradise

   Unlike hives in temperate climates that cluster together and hibernate through cold winter months, bees in Hawaiʻi stay active all year long. Thanks to our warm climate and continuous blooms, island bees never take a winter break, creating a diverse calendar of nectar flows.

   
   

2. Monofloral Varieties You Can Only Taste Here

   Hawaiʻi is home to some of the rarest honey profiles on the planet. From the velvety, nutty notes of Macadamia Blossom honey to the rare, naturally crystallized White Kiawe Creme honey harvested from coastal dry forests, to the floral and light endemic 'Ohi'a Lehua, where the tree can form new forests on lava! Every region of the islands offers a distinct tasting profile driven by local flora.

   
   

3. Hawai'i's Native Bees Aren't Honeybees

   The islands have endemic Hylaeus bees, commonly called yellow-faced bees. They are solitary native bees rather than the large colonies associated with Apis mellifera. The yellow-faced bees are especially important because Hawaiʻi has an unusually high diversity of endemic species in this genus. Some evolved into highly specialized island species. Several Hawaiian yellow-faced bees are now threatened, making them a major conservation concern.

   
   

4. A Mile Can Make A Difference

   Elevation, rainfall, lava age, forest type, and human agriculture can all change which flowering plants are available to bees. A hive on the dry side of an island may effectively experience a completely different floral landscape from one only a few dozen miles away. Rainfall can matter enormously to our honey production. Because flowering and nectar production are strongly influenced by moisture, the wet and dry sides of the island can produce very different honey flows.

   
   

5. Ancient Honey for Modern Craft Mead

   Honey isn't just for spreading! It is the foundational ingredient for mead, the world's oldest fermented beverage. By fermenting our raw, local honey with fresh tropical fruits and botanicals, we are able to transform pure nectar into crisp, refreshing craft beverages that capture the true essence of Hawaiʻi in a bottle. Visit us to sample for yourself!

For more details on how bees came to Hawai'i, check out this in-depth article from Hawaii Magazine with a feature on The Honey Bar Kaimuki!

How to Celebrate National Honey Month With Us

The best way to honor National Honey Month is simply to get closer to the source! Here are a few ways you can join in on the sweetness this September:

• Taste Local: Try a flight of distinct raw honeys side-by-side to experience how nectar source changes flavor and texture. Both our Wahiawa Honey House and The Honey Bar Kaimuki have free honey samples, all year round!

  
  

• Plant Bee-Friendly Blooms: Add native flowering plants to your yard or garden to support local pollinators.

  
  

• Visit Us, Buy Local Honey & Get FREE Gifts!: Stop by our Wahiawa Honey House or The Honey Bar Kaimuki for FREE gifts with qualifying honey purchase - all September!

  • Spend $55 - Get a FREE Baby Bear Sampler Set

  • Spend $100 - Get a FREE Baby Bear Sampler Set AND Tote Bag

Mahalo for supporting local agriculture and keeping the buzz alive across the islands! We appreciate your support!