Frequently asked questions

Where are you guys based?

We are based in Bundaberg, Queensland. And beekeep throughout Bundaberg and surround regions such as Gin Gin, Mt Perry, Gregory, Apple Tree Creek, Childers any where we can find flowers for our bees.

Are you on social media?

Yes, we are you'll find the icons above with links to our socials. Follow along!

Is your honey natural?

We pride ourself on being Aussie Beekeepers and get offended when asked this question but we understand its dodgy out there!
We don't adulterate our honey, this means to change it from its natural form. We do not add any syrups, glucose or imported honey to our harvested honey. We also don't feed our bees anything artificial so they can produce honey from it. We don't pasteurize (heat treat) our honey either. Our honey is from the Australian Bush and is from natural blossom sources.

Do you wholesale your honey?

We sure do, we have a heap of retailers that we supply our honey to in the local area. You'll find a list of our retailers under the 'Where to buy our honey' tab above. Send us an email if you'd like to start selling our honey admin@sweetleafhoney.com.au

Ants...how do you keep them away from your honey?

We live in beautiful Queensland where there's always a bug after you. In the Summer months you'll find our honey in the kitchen sitting in small dish full of water, creating a mot of sorts this generally keeps the ants at bay.

Will it crystalize? Is that bad?

It may or may not crystalize. Major factors are type of trees foraged on, some types of nectar crystalize faster than others. And the outside temperature, honey will crystalize in the cold this is natural as it tries to stabilize itself hence why people say don't put it in the fridge to store (unless you want it crystalized that is).
Is it bad, no. Some people just continue to use it as normal in it's crystalized form others prefer to melt the crystals down and get it back to runny.
You can place the whole container in warm water bath and this will help melt the crystals down. Do not use the microwave as you'll destroy the natural goodness of the honey with the heat.

What does the colour vary?

We, the beekeepers, have very little to do with what colour our honey comes out, that is to do with the flowers the bees are foraging on, some flowers produce light (blonde) honeys others dark (black) honey. The colour of honey does not mean it will taste good or bad, it's just the colour of the honey, each batch will taste different regardless of colour and remember we only bottle palatable honeys.

What flavour is it?

We do not produce 'supermarket' tasting honey, where it's the same taste every time. We pack what ever nature gives us, with a few exceptions.

Most consumers of honey don't really think about honey having seasons but it does. Trees have certain times of year that they flower, or some trees don't flower every year, instead every 2nd or 3rd year.

We select our honeys for bottling after we extract the honey by taste testing each harvest and if it's a pleasant tasting honey we bottle it. We are proud to say that no two of our honeys ever taste the same and nor should they, that's not natural.

Why does the viscosity (thickness) change?

The viscosity or thickness of honey will vary with the seasons especially for us Queensland beekeepers. Once the bees collect the nectar from the tree begins the process of turning it into honey, they do this by removing moisture from the nectar. But the bees are limited by the outside humidity (moisture in the air), if the humidity is high than the honeys' moisture content will be higher and this results in a thinner aka runnier honey. But runny honey isn't bad, and it's not adulterated, its just thin.

What's the difference between Sweet Leaf Honey & Perry Gold Honey?

Perry Gold Honey is generally from the Mt Perry & Surrounding Regions and it's 500g & 700g jars are packed in glass. Whereas Sweet Leaf Honey covers the whole the Bundaberg Region out west to Mt Perry and to the North and South of Bundy, it is packaged in plastic.

Do you use miticides or antibiotics?

No we do not use miticides or antibiotics in our hives. We use natural treatments such as oxalic acid, formic acid and thymol to treat our hives for varroa mite. If it's not in the hive, it's not in the jar.

Do you sell to the public?

We only sell direct to the public on our website and another 'selling' platforms.