
Our bees are not large near farm fields, so they use mostly wildflowers. This is important to us as it means the honey we provide has the things you are looking for, especially when it comes to allergy reduction! Bees are natural foragers and will use pollen from any type of flower they can get at. This means honey can taste different from season to season and hive to hive, even if those hives are right next to each other!
In order to be considered organic, bees must not come in contact with any pesticides ever. Since our bees are free flying in nature, not in a controlled environment, we can't control what they come in contact with and do not feel comfortable claiming organic. We do not use pesticides nor do we add anything to the honey. It's spun straight from the hive, lightly filtered, and bottled immediately for freshness!
Pasteurization is a process that destroys the yeast found in honey by applying high heat. While this helps extend the shelf life of honey it typically destroys many of the honey's natural properties. Raw honey offers more powerful health benefits, in terms of healing wounds and fighting infections, than pasteurized honey.
Many large "honey farms" will move their bee hives to warmer climates over the winter - typically Florida, Texas, or California. While this means the bees do not have to deal with our winters, it opens up those hives to diseases and makes them less hardy for cooler springs/falls. Our hives stay put here in western Wisconsin. We do everything to make sure they are strong enough to make it through winter and check on them often. It is our belief that locally wintered bees are key to the local bee populations long term health.