FAQs

What’s the difference between store bought honey and White Clay Honey?
We get this one a lot. Mass producers of honey are actually allowed by the FDA to have up to 70% additives (typically corn syrup), that’s only 30% actual honey! That’s why when you see honey in the store, it’s so much cheaper, and quite honestly, there’s not much real honey in their product.

Is White Clay Honey organic?
Well…yes and no. While we do not add any chemicals or treat with the bees themselves with pesticides, our bees fly around the neighborhood. As such, we have no idea if they’ve pollinated a local farmer’s crop or our neighbor’s shrubs, and if they did, whether others have used pesticides.

How often do you harvest honey?
At White Clay Honey, we harvest as needed. Some years that means once, typically around Labor Day weekend. Other years when the honey is plentiful, it could be as many as 4-5 times in one year!

Why doesn’t each jar have the same color honey?
Honey bees pollinate different plants. Clover for instance can be very light, whereas hardwoods can actually look dark red. We typically blend ours all together, however, there are times when we have harvested in ways that allowed for the coloration to be exhibited.

Why doesn’t each jar have the same taste?
As mentioned above, our White Clay Honey harvest is typically mixed together so the honey pretty much tastes the same from year to year. For other beekeepers, their hives are used specifically to pollinate specific plants, like blueberry plants for example. When that happens, the honey has a blueberry like flavor!

Why does some honey look clear and others look granulated (crystalized)?
Crystallization of honey (aka creamed honey) is a natural process that occurs after the honey is placed into containers. Cold temperatures can accelerate the process, making crystallization happen sooner. There are some places where creamed honey is more expensive and sought after.

Can two queen bees occupy the same hive?
Normally no. But…there are times when a second queen is born and the two queens can occupy the same hive for as long as a month or two. This happened to us in 2020 when there had been a lot of queen cells in one hive, we went to inspect the hive the following, and we found queens only a few frames apart.

Are honey bees aggressive?
Honey bees are very rarely aggressive, unless they are Africanized, which has not happened in this area, the Mid-Atlantic Region of the US. Even when entering the hive itself, honey bees will not normally attack without reason.

What about swarms, are they dangerous?
When honey bees swarm, they are fairly docile as they are focused on finding a new home. Normally, swarms can easily be gathered into a “nuc” box (a small 4 frame box) without wearing protective gear. We have collected swarms with no protective gear and have not been stung once, HOWEVER, you should always be careful when around bees in general.

What are the aggressive bees then?
Yellow jackets have a similar look to honey bees and the two are often confused as each other.
Starting late summer, yellow jackets (often called bees and often confused with honey bees) can be found having a colony in the ground, under sidewalks, even in houses where they typically find a small hole that works as an entrance with a large open space inside.

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