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About our bees, our honey and our methods...
Commonly Asked Questions
Where do you get your honey from? The Tea Tree and Desert Flower honey is from grandfather Paul Ellison, who has many hives and aggists them out on various far flung farms from Warrick to the Gold Coast hinterlands. The majority of their honey is collected from native trees and bushes. The honey is beautiful and unique tasting - with strong flavours and distinctive tastes. Paul Ellison (MissBeeHaven) sells his honey at the West End markets, Brisbane, on a Saturday.
We personally have two beehives at the bottom of our garden, from Paul's original stock. (Thank you Paul and Ruby!) Our bees live quite happily in among our chickens, kids, dogs and fruit trees. These spoiled little bees are regularly checked and given the best/newest boxes and frames we can buy and make. They have rewarded us by providing an astounding amount of honey. And their pollination activity means our flowers and fruit trees are also benefiting!
We only sell our honey via this website, ebay, telephone or email orders. Having two children under 5, and a husband who works full time as a diesel engineer, selling at markets is not easy for us. Selling via the net is the logical answer and adds an extra dimension to our family beekeeping.How do you get the honey out of the honeycomb?We spin the honey out of the honeycomb by hand, in a small stainless steel extractor, without any heat or chemical methods. This natural, cold-process method ensures that this honey tastes exactly as it does the day the bees sealed it in their hive. All that we have removed are the bees and the wax. It is classified as “live” or “raw” honey – with high healing properties. We triple filter it - to remove most of the wax and the odd broken bee wing. Then after settling for three days, it is bottled. Because we bottle our honey in such small batches, we can usually print on the label the month, if not the day, it was collected.
 Why are you not "Certified Organic"? Our honey is organic - produced using methods that do not contain genetically modified organisms or unnecessary chemicals, are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents or chemical food additives.
However, the government does not hand out certificates just because you meet all the organic requirements. In fact, the Australian government does not set any organic standards at all - rather, it allows various private organisations to set standards and charge fees to issue "Certified Organic" certificates. The basic price for such a certificate is $1,000 - with a percentage of all future sales to be paid to the organisation. To put it simply, we cannot afford it just yet. However, if you want real honey at a great price, you have come to the right place!
How long will honey last? Real honey will never go "off". It will last indefinitely. Crystallized, or candied, honey has been found in Egyptian tombs, still perfectly edible after thousands of years. Crystallized honey can be returned to smooth honey - if desired - by standing the jar of honey in a basin of warm water, or by placing on a sunny window ledge for a few hours. Some people prefer the taste of crystallized honey. A teaspoon dissolved in a cup of hot water with a little lemon can help heal and relieve common colds. (The honey that you can buy in the supermarket has been treated (heated to 60 to 100 degrees celsius) so that it will flow smoothly out of the bottle. It will look exactly the same forever - however, it is dead.)
Our honey will naturally eventually crystallizes. Our honey may take years to show the slightest crystallization, while the Tea Tree begins to crystallize at the slightest cold weather. This is what real honey does.
We are always happy to answer any questions. We are proud to offer you our completely natural honey that is sure to benefit and delight. However, the real proof is in the taste. Welcome to the wonderful world of real honey!
And on behalf of the bees, thank you for growing flowers in your garden.
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