Would you be able to give me an order source for really raw honey made by bees that are not fed sugar water?

In a message dated 9/18/01 7:51:31 AM, Jackie writes:

Hi,

Would you be able to give me an order source for really raw honey made by bees that are not fed sugar water? Thanks if you can. Thanks, too, if you don't know.

Much obliged,

jackie

Dear Jackie,

You know, that is a really good question! I thought that if I was buying a good brand of honey that said it was raw, uncooked, unheated and unfiltered that I was getting the best honey. But now you've made me aware of one more question I should be asking. I knew about sugar water of course, but it just never crossed my mind that the honey providers that seem to really be paying attention to quality would/could feed sugar water as well. But thinking about it, it is possible that at the time of the year when the flowers are not available that they could be doing that. Unless they make it their business to provide different flowers that bloom at different times of the year, but then there are the winter months when no flowers are available.

While I don't have the answer for now, I have a suggestion.

If a honey, meeting all the raw qualifications, also says clover honey or tupelo honey or wildflower honey or buckwheat honey - then you would know that the bees were feeding primarily on clover, tupelo, wildflowers or buckwheat blossoms. True, there's still the outside chance that they're also feeding sugar water, so once you find a brand that you are interested in, either call or write to the company and ask the question. Make sure you talk to a person qualified to give you the answer or you might just get, either the wrong information or the brushoff. And if you do this, could you please let me know what you find out?

I will also be doing some investigating. Always something more to learn, isn't there?

Thanks for writing,

Rhio

In a message dated 9/23/01 2:08:01 AM, Jackie writes:

Thanks for giving me the info. Yes, I will follow up on the honey issue. I leaned a bit about beekeeping from a man who houses bees on my father's land in NM. He says that the bees 'hibernate' during the winter. They are supposed to eat their own food but since the honey is collected to sell they are fed a sugar water formula instead. This seems to me unfair. Moreover, the vibrational energy from that substance doesn't compare to that of flower nectar. I am a '90 graduate from the NM School of Natural Therapeutics and was fortunate to come across a broad spectrum of natural modalities. Stuff like this (Ann Wigmore, Aajonus, etc.) interests me greatly as I practice it. I will see what I can find and will let you know even though it will take me a while. Thanks again.

Jackie

Dear Jackie,

Yes, it seems unfair to me too that the beekeepers don't leave some honey for the bees to subsist on. Instead of giving sugar water, they could give honey water. They don't have to take every bit of the honey, do they? Why couldn't they give 1/4 back?

By hibernate, do you mean that they sleep through the winter without eating, like a bear? If you find out anything else, please let me know. I know it will take some time. It always takes time to find out the truth of things. And thank you for your efforts.

Sincerely,

Rhio

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