Frequently Asked Questions 

Bee-Hive Minded.

General Questions. 

Is honey CRYSTALLIZATION an indicator of expiration?

Crystallization is a natural process that occurs in honey and is not an indicator of spoilage - in fact honey cannot get spoiled at all. Glucose is a natural sugar that is present in honey and influences this process in the sense that the more glucose present, the sooner the crystallization process will occur. The presence of glucose in each variety of honey varies, resulting in some varieties of honey more likely to candy in comparison to others. Another factor that is present in honey crystallization is the temperature conditions with cooler temperatures accelerating this process. 

​To turn your crystallized honey back into liquid honey place the container of honey in a bowl of warm water and let it sit until the honey slowly begins to warm up. The crystallization process does not alter the nutritional value nor the taste of the honey after this process.  

​DOES EUCALYPTUS HONEY HAVE ANY HEALTH BENEFITS?

 We offer 4 native eucalyptus varieties; Yellowbox, Iron Bark, Stringy Bark and Bloodwood. Although Eucalyptus Honey does not have as strong anti-bacterial effects as Manuka honey, it has properties to potentially increase immunity as an anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and ant-septic food source. Furthermore, these properties can contribute to relieving cold and flu symptoms such as sore throats and coughing. Ultimately, Eucalyptus Honey's ideal use is for everyday use either by itself or as an ingredient in various foods or drinks. ​

WHAT IS ROYAL JELLY?
​

Royal Jelly is a milky honey bee secretion that is high in nutrition to feed larvae and queen bees. This super food is fed to all larvae - workers, drones and queens; however the workers and drones discontinue their feed on the royal jelly whilst the queen bee continue throughout their development. When the queen is dying or weak the workers will select a few larvae to be the potential newcomer queen, developing in a special cell whilst being fed an extensive amount of royal jelly to ultimately trigger into the full evolution of the queen - including fully developed ovaries to lay eggs. 

To view our 40g Pure Royal Jelly - click here.

what is pollen?

Pollen enables the fertilization of plants, to blossom and further reproduce. Bees aid the pollination through the way they collect pollen on their hairy  bodies, transferring pollen grains between plants. For bees it is a vital source of protein and is apart of their diet especially for young bees in development. This is because bee pollen is one of the most natural, completely nourishing foods being rich in proteins, free amino acids, vitamins and folic acid. Bee pollen is completely safe for human consumption and can go great with breakfast smoothie bowls or morning oats - just sprinkle 1/2 teaspoons on top. It is beneficial for the human body in many ways including reduced inflammation, antioxidant, protection against liver toxicity, immune system booster and promotion of healing. 

To view our pollen products click here.

​HOW DO YOU USE HONEYCOMB?

People consume honeycomb because of its many beneficial health properties, therefore there are so many ways people use honeycomb. One of the more obvious ways to consume honeycomb is by eating it by itself, biting into the chewy texture of the wax whilst oozing out are the tantalizing flavours of Australian Eucalyptus honey. It's chewy, crunchy texture also makes it great as a key component for a salad or even a cheese platter providing a different tone of taste, juxtaposing the saltiness of the cheese against the sweet comb through its unique texture. It can even substitute regular liquid honey at the breakfast table, blending in chunks of honeycomb in yogurt or cutting up some small pieces to let melt against the heat of a warm piece of toast smothering natures sweet and rich delicacy like a spread. 
Because honeycomb contains antibacterials and antioxidants people use it for cosmetic purposes through methods such as a facial moisturizer, a mask and a body scrub to soften skin or even to treat skin infections and scars. ​

To view our honeycomb products click here.

WHAT IS BENEFICIAL ABOUT THE CONSUMPTION OF HONEYCOMB?

​Honeycomb is made up of beeswax, forming the hexagonal structure that is used to store the rawest and purest form of honey which contains high nutritional, vitamin and mineral value. Honeycomb contains high levels of antioxidants and antibacterial activity affecting the body through cleansing out blood vessels and aiding the digestive tract as an alkaline forming food -  maintaining a healthy acid/alkaline balance. Furthermore, it contains potassium which results in bacteria having the inability to survive in honey because of its properties as a mineral. Raw honey straight from the honeycomb is used to treat scarring and for various types of skin infections. It's quite popular as a facial moisturizer, a mask and a body scrub especially in regions of Asia in which individuals apply to soften the skin, further forming a layer of protection. 

To view our honeycomb products click here.

Our Honey Operation.

Where does your honey come from?

We pride ourselves on producing our own honey from our very own hives located throughout the Central Western regions of NSW spanning down south to Northern Victoria. Our 4 main Eucalyptus varieties include Yellowbox, Iron Bark, Stringy Bark and Bloodwood which all vary in flavour and colour based on the seasonal conditions of the environment. However, when we cannot meet the market demand for Australian Honey we will get our supply from other beekeepers that offer and source pure Australian Eucalyptus Honey.

​How do you determine what variety of honey the bees will collect?

Our Beekeekping Team places hives across different locations during specific times of the year because of the fact that trees and plants flower at completely different times throughout the year. We can determine what type of honey the bees will collect by looking at what trees and plants are present within a certain radius because they will not fly anymore than 5km.

How many hives do you have for honey production?

We currently have 3,500 hives for honey production which are located around Central Western NSW and Northern Victoria which usually get relocated based on honey flow during a particular time of the season. 
​

​Is your honey heated?

Heating the honey allows for it to freely flow during the bottling​ process, also complementing the filtration required when passing through the sieves - removing any wax, bees legs/wings etc. We do not heat our honey over 40 degrees Celsius over long durations of time because of the deterioration of natural enzymes and the darkening of colour within the honey. Our bottling procedures ensure the prevention of this deterioration of honey, with the implementation of a thermostatically controlled heater that is timed.  

is your honey organic?

Organic certification is overseen by a set of guidelines enforced by an agency - covering the origin of bee sites to the implementation of specific procedures during harvest and bottling. Although our honey is not organic, Australian Queen Bee Line Honey is 100% Pure Australian Honey - naturally sourced from flora within various areas of the Central NSW region spanning down to Northern Victoria. 

​​WHAT IS THE HONEY EXTRACTION PROCESS?

Hives are inspected regularly over a period of a few weeks ​​in order to check when they are full of honey. When honey flow is really thriving, hives will be inspected within a 2 week period and if they are full the frames of honeycomb will be taken back to the factory for harvest. The wax cappers are uncapped during this extraction process with a heated blade (heated with steam water) - these cappings are used for producing wax moulds that can be arranged for various uses. The frames are then placed in the honey extractor for a few minutes, which uses centrifugal force - a continous spinning motion that eventualy throws all of the honey out from the comb. 

Our Queen Bee Operation.

WHICH COUNTRIES DO YOU CURRENTLY EXPORT QUEENS TO?

Currently we export to the following countries:

• Canada​
• Jordan
• Kuwait
• Lebanon
• Philippines

How many queens Do you produce per year?

On average we produce roughly 20,000 queens a year for our local market here in Australia (all states except Western Australia). For our international market  per year it can span between 10,000 - 15,000 queens a year. 

Postal and Shipping Questions.

How long does shipping take for postage of queens?​

We ship our queens to all states except Western Australia due to the domestic quarantine restrictions that are in place. We ship our queens through Australia Post and depending on where you are located the times will vary, however the maximum transit time should be 4 days. Should this duration be longer please contact us. 

​HOW LONG DOES SHIPPING TAKE FOR POSTAGE OF HONEY PRODUCTS?

Depending on location it can vary when sending from our office in Orange. We use Fastway Couriers to ship our honey products nationally and aim to have these goods delivered within 7 working days.  We currently do not ship any items to Western Australia due to the quarantine restrictions that are in place.

If you can't find any other further questions about postal and shipping please look at our Terms and Conditions page.