I formally started Harry’s Honey House in 1995 in Cambridge, New York. I am a small operation and I am the only worker unlike the bees, which have an army. I enjoy being outside and love the amazing and miraculous nature that surrounds us.

The bees out yards are all in the Cambridge, Greenwich, and Salem area. These areas all have their own diverse collection of plants that provide nectar. This diverse resource changes based on the weather and the plants so the scent and flavor of the crop changes each year. This allows the product to be different within the year and from year to year. I do not blend or separate the honey to make it more homogeneous. I believe that the mix mother nature provides and that the bees collect and store is the way it should be. The bees can have multiple floral sources in one frame so if they can consume it that way we should also.

The bees are amazing little creatures with their dances and vibrations for communication. They also have astounding orientation skills to find distant floral sources and then find their way home. Bees can also be fierce in defending their home, guard bees patrol the hive and if they find a problem they will release an alarm pheromone to alert the hive to provide a defense. Bees can also be very nurturing. They groom and attend to the needs of the queen. They clean her and feed her. She is the main reason for all their effort because her bounty provides for their bounty.

Derek Woodcock, Owner & Beekeeper, Harry’s Honey House