How Organic Honey Is Made and Harvested: A Step-by-Step Guide

By Live Long Honey

Honey is one of the most natural sweeteners available, and organic honey takes it a step further by ensuring a pure, chemical-free process from flower to jar. The making of organic honey is a careful, complex journey that involves both the skill of the beekeeper and the hard work of bees. Organic honey is produced without the use of synthetic chemicals, pesticides, or antibiotics, ensuring it retains its purity and natural health benefits.

In this article, we’ll take you through the fascinating process of how organic honey is made and harvested—from the bees’ role in gathering nectar to the careful handling by beekeepers during harvesting.

1. Sourcing Organic Nectar: The Bee’s Role

The journey of organic honey begins with bees collecting nectar from organic flowers. Organic honey comes from hives located in areas free from pesticides and synthetic chemicals, often in remote, clean environments far from urban pollution. This means the flowers from which bees collect nectar are grown without harmful pesticides or chemicals, creating a purer end product.

Worker bees gather nectar from flowers, and in the process, they also help with pollination. A bee collects nectar in its “honey stomach,” a special part of its digestive system. Once full, the bee returns to the hive to pass the nectar to other worker bees who help transform it into honey.

The Bee’s Job:

• Worker bees visit thousands of flowers and carry nectar back to the hive.

• They “re-gurgitate” the nectar to hive bees who will further process it, adding enzymes that help break down the sugars in nectar.

2. The Transformation of Nectar into Honey

Once inside the hive, the nectar undergoes a fascinating process. The hive bees, or house bees, take the nectar and begin the task of turning it into honey. They add an enzyme called invertase, which breaks down the nectar’s sucrose (a complex sugar) into simpler sugars, glucose, and fructose, making it more digestible and less likely to spoil. During this process, the bees fan the nectar with their wings to evaporate excess water, thickening the substance until it reaches the ideal consistency for honey.

Bees will continue the process until the honey has only about 18% water, giving it its thick and sticky consistency. The honey is then stored in the hexagonal wax cells of the honeycomb.

Steps to Make Honey:

• Bees add enzymes to nectar, breaking down sugars.

• They fan the nectar to evaporate water until it becomes thick and concentrated.

• Once the honey is ready, bees seal the honeycomb cell with a thin layer of beeswax to preserve it.

3. The Role of Organic Beekeeping Practices

To ensure honey is organic, beekeepers must adhere to strict organic certification standards. This means not using synthetic chemicals, pesticides, or antibiotics on their hives or in the vicinity of bee foraging areas. Organic beekeepers often rely on natural methods to keep hives healthy, such as using essential oils or other natural treatments to combat pests and diseases.

Organic certification also restricts certain feeding practices. In conventional honey production, some beekeepers supplement their bees’ diet with sugar syrups or other non-organic food sources to increase honey production. In organic honey production, however, bees are allowed to forage naturally, which can result in lower yields but produces honey that is free from artificial additives.

Organic Beekeeping Standards:

• Hives are placed in pesticide-free zones and organic farms.

• No synthetic pesticides, antibiotics, or artificial feeds are used.

• Beekeepers rely on natural pest control methods to protect the bees and hives.

4. Harvesting Organic Honey

When the honey is ready, it’s time to harvest. Harvesting organic honey is done with extreme care to preserve the purity and integrity of the honey. Beekeepers use smoke to calm the bees, a process that allows them to safely remove frames from the hive. Once the frames are removed, beekeepers scrape the wax capping off the honeycomb cells to release the honey.

The frames are placed in an extractor, a centrifuge-like device, which spins the frames to extract honey without damaging the honeycomb structure. This allows bees to reuse the honeycomb for future batches, an environmentally friendly practice that also saves bees a lot of time and energy.

After extraction, the honey is filtered to remove any remaining wax particles and impurities but is typically not heated or ultra-filtered in organic production to retain its natural enzymes, vitamins, and minerals.

Steps in Harvesting Organic Honey:

• Beekeepers use smoke to calm the bees and safely remove the honeycomb frames.

• Wax caps are removed to release honey from the cells.

• Honey is extracted using a centrifuge, filtered, and collected without high heat or intense filtration.

5. Packaging and Storing Organic Honey

Once the honey is extracted, it’s strained and transferred into jars for packaging. Organic honey is not pasteurized or overly processed, allowing it to retain its raw, natural qualities. This ensures that beneficial enzymes, pollen, and natural flavors are preserved, distinguishing organic honey from conventional types.

After packaging, honey jars are labeled with information about the origin, certification, and type of honey. Organic honey often crystallizes more quickly than processed honey due to its raw state, but crystallization is a natural process and can be easily reversed by gently warming the jar.

Key Points for Packaging:

• Organic honey is minimally processed to maintain purity and nutrients.

• It is stored at room temperature and can be gently warmed if it crystallizes.

• Jars are labeled with certification to indicate organic authenticity.

The Importance of Organic Certification

For honey to be certified organic, it must meet rigorous standards set by organic certification bodies, such as the USDA in the United States. These standards ensure that the entire process—from the flower sources to beekeeping practices and honey extraction—is free from harmful chemicals and contaminants. Beekeepers undergo regular inspections to maintain their organic status, which guarantees that consumers receive pure, high-quality honey.

Organic honey may be slightly more expensive than conventional honey due to the extra care and stringent practices involved. However, the benefits it offers—purity, sustainability, and high nutritional value—make it a worthwhile choice for those seeking a healthy and natural product.

Why Organic Honey Is Worth the Extra Effort

Organic honey offers a range of health benefits and is produced in a way that respects the environment and bee populations. Unlike conventional honey, which may be subjected to high heat, ultra-filtration, and exposure to synthetic chemicals, organic honey is raw, unfiltered, and packed with antioxidants, enzymes, and trace amounts of bee pollen. By choosing organic honey, consumers not only support sustainable beekeeping but also enjoy a product closer to what nature intended.

Conclusion

The making and harvesting of organic honey is a detailed, time-intensive process that ensures purity and nutritional integrity. From sourcing nectar in chemical-free environments to adhering to natural beekeeping practices, organic honey production is as close to nature as possible. The result is a wholesome product that retains all of honey’s beneficial properties—making organic honey one of the purest, healthiest forms of this treasured superfood.

Next time you enjoy a spoonful of organic honey, remember the journey it took to reach your table. This simple yet intricate process highlights the incredible role bees play in our ecosystem and the dedication of organic beekeepers committed to providing the highest quality honey.