{"id":3893,"date":"2022-12-31T12:39:42","date_gmt":"2022-12-31T17:39:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beekeepingfornewbies.com\/?p=3893"},"modified":"2022-12-31T12:39:44","modified_gmt":"2022-12-31T17:39:44","slug":"comb-honey-is-expensive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beekeepingfornewbies.com\/comb-honey-is-expensive\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Is Comb Honey So Expensive?
(vs. Jar Honey)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When we started beekeeping, I began paying close attention to honey prices in our local store. I noticed that comb honey was quite expensive relative to liquid honey in a jar. As a more experienced beekeeper, I’ve learned why comb honey sells at a premium price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comb honey (or honeycomb) is more expensive than liquid honey due to its higher production costs (one-time use of beeswax, additional labor for extraction, and increased packaging costs). Also, increasing consumer demand raises prices for raw honey (such as comb honey) vs. processed, liquid honey while high volumes of imported honey help keep the price of liquid honey down.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we will look at the price of comb honey vs. liquid honey and delve into the details of why comb honey is relatively so expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Comb Honey?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Comb honey is \u201choney presented in its original comb or portions thereof.\u201d<\/strong>[1]<\/a> It is the purest form of “raw honey” <\/strong>which the National Honey Board defines as \u201choney as it exists in the beehive or as obtained by extraction, settling or straining without adding heat.\u201d[5]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Liquid honey in a jar may be raw or processed honey.<\/strong> Most liquid honey is processed to facilitate packaging and standardize its appearance for marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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See our article What Is Raw Honey? (Besides Delicious!)<\/a><\/strong> for more information about the differences between raw honey and processed honey.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Comb honey is cut from the beehive frame and sold without processing. It contains any wax, pollen, propolis, and bee parts that the colony may have enclosed with the honey. Honeycomb is precisely the way the bees made it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A little bit on terminology:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider the word “honeycomb” in context. In this article, comb honey and honeycomb both refer to a form of honey delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In beekeeping terms, honeycomb is also the wax mass of hexagonal cells built by bees to store brood, pollen, nectar, and honey. See our article What Is Honeycomb? (Talking Beeswax)<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n

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\"Comb
Comb honey we harvested<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Retail Prices Of Comb Honey vs. Liquid Honey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I did a survey (admittedly, an unscientific, small sample survey) of honeycomb and liquid raw honey prices on Amazon and some specialty retail sites. If you check your local markets, I expect you will see similar patterns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

It seems clear that comb honey is quite a bit more expensive than liquid alternatives. This data shows comb honey is almost 2 – 3 times more expensive than liquid honey, on average.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Comb honey is completely edible, wax and all. <\/strong>See our article How To Eat Honeycomb (Yes, It\u2019s Edible!)<\/strong><\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Comb Honey Production Costs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Cost Of Beeswax<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Wax comb has value to both the bees and the beekeeper. It is an “expensive” component of comb honey that must be incorporated in its sales price.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before doing anything else in a hive, honey bees must make beeswax to create their home. Bees use the wax cells to raise brood, store pollen, and convert nectar into honey. Bees expend a significant amount of time and energy to produce the wax comb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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See our article What Is Honeycomb? (Talking Beeswax)<\/a><\/strong> for details on how bees build and use wax comb.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Beeswax Can Be Reused<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In a Langstroth hive, the most common type of beehive in North America, beekeepers put removable frames into hives. Wax or plastic \u201cfoundation\u201d is usually placed in the center of each frame. Some types of foundation are suitable for extracting liquid honey, but not for cutting out comb honey.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The frames and foundation provide bees with a beginning structure for their wax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bee-built comb has a center seam with hexagonal cells on each side. Foundation provides that center seam meaning less wax construction, saving time and energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foundation also gives bees a straight-line guide that results (hopefully) in neater comb formations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You can also keep bees without foundation. Foundationless beekeeping comes with challenges and benefits. See our article about Foundationless Frames<\/strong><\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The most efficient way to extract honey from a frame is with centrifugal force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beekeepers remove wax cappings that seal honey cells and place the frame in an extractor. The extractor spins at high speeds pulling the honey out of the comb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The uncapped comb, secured by the frame and foundation, remains intact and can be reused in the hive. Reusing the comb makes it less expensive for both bees and beekeepers.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bees, freed of the time and labor needed to replace the comb, can produce more honey. It is a win\/win for the bees and beekeepers (but not for comb honey production).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out this video about a commercial production honey house which shows the efficiency of centrifugal extraction on a large-scale operation:<\/p>\n\n\n

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Honey Production Process | Food Network<\/div><\/div>
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