KURANDA HONEY HOUSE

Established in 1959 to showcase and promote the many distinctive honeys from North Queensland, Honey House Kuranda continues the tradition working with 5 major apiarists in the region (and many smaller ones) to bring you the best range of honeys North Queensland has to offer! Only the highest quality, raw honeys are chosen - no heat treatment, no blending, no over filtering - so you receive the freshest product straight from the hive!!
Don't miss a visit to the World Famous Honey House Kuranda!

THIS PAGE IS HOSTED BY CAIRNS UNLIMITED FOR THE HONEY HOUSE KURANDA. MATERIAL ON THIS PAGE IS SUBMITTED BY THE HONEY HOUSE KURANDA, NOT BY CAIRNS UNLIMITED. BUT WE RECKON THE HONEY HOUSE KURANDA ROCKS. WE'RE SURE YOU WILL TOO!

SEE YOU AT THE HONEY HOUSE KURANDA!

WATCH A WORKING BEE HIVE	SAMPLE NORTH QUEENSLAND'S BEST HONEYS
POSE FOR A FUNNY PHOTO	AND IT'S NOT ONLY HONEY WE GET FROM THE HIVE

Discover how many other products we use including propolis, royal jelly, beeswax and pollen

PRODUCT RANGE

Honey is a seasonal product so every time you visit Honey House Kuranda, you will experience something different!

Our most popular honey is RAINFOREST - rich in colour with lingering flavours - exotic in tea; perfect for toast and simply delicious over fruit salad. Other interesting varieties include:

* Avocado honey - black in colour, strong on flavour
* Grey Box - very light and mild
* Tropical Coast - reminiscent of molasses

But remember there are at least 20 different flavours to try so you are sure to find one that suits you.

HONEY HOUSE KURANDA GOURMET HONEY RANGE - Specially selected honeys infused with fresh spices create a range of cooking honeys for the gourmet chef.

HONEYCOMB - cut fresh from the hive - a true honey lover's delight. Chew the comb and feel pure untouched honey trickle through your mouth and tantalise your tastebuds!

MEDICINAL PRODUCTS - an extensive range of natural medicinal products: Propolis - known as Nature's Antibiotic; Bee Pollen; Royal Jelly; Active Manuka Honey and Byron Bay Ear Candles

BEAUTY PRODUCTS - beeswax lip gloss; honey soap; face cream;

PLUS Beeswax candles; gift packs; wax sheets; honey dippers; souvenirs and much, much more!!

HONEY FACTS

Did You Know??

* Raw honey (honey extracted without heat and with minimal filtering) will never spoil. Edible jars of honey were found in the tombs of Egyptian Pharaohs
* The flavour and colour of honey comes from the nectar and pollen collected by the bees
* Darker honeys generally have a higher mineral content
* Lighter honeys generally have a higher vitamin C content and are usually sweeter
* Honey produces energy in our bodies quicker than sugar
* One worker bee produces enough honey in a day to fill the head of a pin
* Honey is the only natural food that includes all the substances necessary to sustain life, including water
* Honey is primarily a food reserve for the hive
* Most honey sold commercially comes from one species of honeybee Apis Mellifera which was introduced to Australia in 1822
* Nectar collected is carried in a special honey stomach; pollen is carried in 'baskets' on the hind legs.

MEDICINAL PRODUCTS

The most well known medicinal honey is 'Active Manuka Honey' sourced from New Zealand. All honey has an antibacterial quality due to hydrogen peroxide that is formed by the enzyme 'glucose oxidase'. Active Manuka honey and its Australian equivalent 'Jellybush' or 'Golden Tea Tree' have phytoactivity together with hydrogen peroxide which makes them so effective against bacteria. Active Manuka Honey can be used internally for stomach ulcers, gastritis; sore throats, colds and flu. Use Active Manuka Honey topically for burns, cuts and wounds and other skin ailments. Active Manuka Honey is used in major hospitals throughout the world to treat burns patients and to kill Golden Staph bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus). All Active Manuka Honey has been laboratory tested and is given a rating from 5 to 30. Honey House Kuranda stocks Active Manuka Honey with a 20+ rating.

HOW HONEY IS MADE

Honeybees collect nectar, pollen and water to make honey. The nectar is mixed in the bees' honey stomach with secretions from their glands. This is then regurgitated and passed onto another bee who will continue the process until the honey is stored in the honeycomb. Worker bees then fan the honey with their wings to evaporate any excess water. This reduction in water content raises the sugar concentration and prevents fermentation. The ripe honey is then 'capped' with wax to prevent contamination and stored for future use by the bees.


Honey consists of:

Water	17%
Fructose	40.6%
Glucose	34.3%
Sucrose	1.9%
Maltrose, melezitose	4.35%
Dextrines and gums	1.6%
Mineral traces	0.25%

And also contains:
Vitamins B2, B6, C, H, K and varying trace elements depending of the nectar and soil composition of the source plant.

ABOUT THE HONEY BEE

The honeybee family consists of:

* Queen Bee
* Drones
* Worker Bees

The queen bee is the largest bee and each hive has only one Queen. Her only purpose is to lay eggs which she will do continuously through her life (2 - 6 years). Once in her life, the queen will leave the hive and mate with up to 10 drones before returning to the hive. After this she will begin egg laying. Worker bees clean and feed the queen Royal Jelly for her entire life.

The drones are the only male bees in the hive and have no stinger. Their only job is to mate with the queen during her once in a lifetime mating flight. The drone dies once his task is complete. Usually there are only a few hundred drones in a hive of many thousands of bees.

Worker bees are all female. During their short life (4 - 6 weeks) they advance through various duties in the hive. Initially, worker bees look after the brood chamber and feed the drones and queen. They then work at receiving and storing the nectar; building honeycomb and cleaning the hive. Later they become honey ripeners and hive guards. Towards the end of their life, worker bees become foragers - collecting the nectar and pollen and bringing it back to the hive.

• PRODUCT RANGE
• HONEY FACTS
• MEDICINAL HONEYS
• HOW HONEY IS MADE
• ABOUT THE HONEY BEE
• ONLINE CATALOGUE