Frequently Asked Questions

Raw means that it has not been pasteurized or fine filtered. We want the honey in our jars to be just as natural as it is when the bees produce it in their hives. Pasteurization is done using high temperatures and fine-filtering removes much of the pollen and other small bits naturally found in honey. These processes significantly damage the flavor and beneficial properties of the honey, and we want to make sure our products are as healthy, natural, and tasty as possible. Any honey you see without the word 'raw' on the label will have been processed in these ways and possibly others.

To ensure the best quality honey possible, we will only ever carry completely unpasteurized, only coarse-filtered, completely raw honey - the way honey should be.

Crystallization happens to all honey. Some types of honey take much longer than others, but it is completely natural that will happen sooner or later. Honey that has been pasteurized and fine filtered will take longer to crystallize but it will happen eventually.

We only supply completely raw honey, which means it still has the good bits still in it. This includes the pollen and sometimes larger bits of propolis, beeswax and royal jelly. So, don't worry if you notice small bits in your honey, but likewise, don't worry if you don't see them - individual grains of pollen are very, very small and may not be easy to see with the naked eye.

These bits give the natural sugars in honey 'seeds' from which to start crystallizing, which means our honey will often set more quickly than other less raw honey.

First and foremost only decrystallize what you need at one time. The flavor and aroma of honey will fade with repeated cycles of heating and cooling.

If you have found that your honey has started to crystallize and you would prefer it liquid you can warm it up. However, do so carefully because getting it too hot can risk changing the quality and lose the raw honey nutrients and benefits.

Our recommendation to warm it, is to place your honey bottle in a glass container (not plastic so it doesn’t melt) and then place that container in a warm water bath using water heated between 95 and 110 degrees. Make sure to keep the water out of your honey. Add more warm water as needed making sure not to go above the 110 degrees. Wait a few minutes and enjoy!

No, honey does not expire when kept in a sealed container. Why? Honey has a low moisture content, high acidity, and the enzymes it contains prevent bacteria and other organisms from growing. Pretty cool!

Starting your own bee colony can sound like an exciting activity! It can also sound intimidating. Our suggestion here at Vee’s Bees would be to look and see if your county or town has a bee keeping association. Taking a class through your local group and being surrounded by veteran bee keepers can be extremely helpful when diving in to the exciting world of bee keeping.

Starting your own hives is possible! Give yourself time and you’ll be an expert before you know it.