Bees - Horizon Guest House

Big Island Bees is a family-owned and operated business. The store and museum is open to the public (including tours) and is a great opportunity to find out how honey is produced, and made into a variety of different products.

Big Island Bees is located just south of Captain Cook on the way down to Kealakekua Bay and has been operating since 1972.

The honey comes directly from the hives on the property and the hives are cared for without any kind of artificial feeds or chemicals. They produce two varieties of honey which are certified-organic (Lehua and Wilelaiki).

You can visit the store and museum and enjoy free tastings, or take a tour (there are two tours a day, at 10am and 1pm – the tour lasts about an hour and costs $30 per adult).

Each jar contains raw, unfiltered honey. They produce three different single-floral varietals. Each of these varieties comes from one source of nectar that the bees visit at different locations on the island at different times of year. The variation in each source of nectar gives the honey its distinct flavor.

The different types of honey include Lehua (from the Lehua blossoms on the ‘Ohi’a tree), macadamia nut (from the blossoms on macadamia nut trees) and Wilelaiki (from the blossoms of the Christmasberry trees) – all of which grow here on the island.

Other products containing honey include soap, balms, and even honey-flavored coffee.

The museum has a variety of beekeeping artifacts. If you take the tour you will get up close to the bees by experiencing an open beehive demonstration.

Even if you aren’t interested in the tour the store and museum make for an interesting stop on the way down to Two Steps or Kealakekua Bay.

When and where?

Big Island Bees

Store and Museum – open Monday to Friday 10am – 3pm.

Beekeeping Tours

Monday to Friday, 10am & 1pm

82-1140 Meli Road, Suite 102
Captain Cook, HI 96704

Don’t use GPS to get there, follow the instructions below:

Take Napoopoo Road off Highway 11, immediately south of mile marker 111. Continue on Napoopoo Road for approximately 4.5 miles. Turn right at the stop sign to continue on Napoopoo Road. Turn right at Big Island Bees sign immediately past Hawaiian Host Macadamia Factory and Kealakekua Estates (Meli Road). Follow winding lane 2/10 mile and turn right at our gate, where you will find a parking lot in the front.

Author: Angus Meek

Bees are big business on the Big Island. It’s where 90% of all hives in the Hawaiian Islands are located. Beekeeping happens year round. Between November and January there is a reduction in the available nectar but soon after January the Macadamia nut trees flower, the nectar is plentiful again, and the bee populations increase!

Did you know

European bees were introduced to the islands in the late 1800s. 80% of food production on the Big Island requires bee pollination. Producers of coffee and macadamia nuts need the help of honey bees. Those who supply avocados, lilikoi and other crops to farmers markets are also reliant on bees for helping propagation.

Sales from bee-pollinated crops in Hawaii are more than $200 million.
There are approximately 15,000 hives in Hawaii.
Hawaii’s honey production was $3.2 million in 2018.
Hawaii supplies 25% of the queen bees on the Mainland and 75% of those in Canada.

Queen bees are exported from Hawaii to the rest of the world. Hawaii exports more than $10 million a year in queen bees. Because of the climate Hawaii is able to supply queen bees all year round.

The majority of the queen bee producers are here on the Big Island. These include Kona Queen Hawaii. While Kona itself provides the perfect weather for cultivating queen bees – warm weather, not much rain – Hilo, with its high annual rainfall is less ideal. However, this environment still produces some unique nectar flows.

Plants that help the bees

The Big Island’s many climatic zones create numerous areas for beekeeping to take place.The amazing variety of flowers means there are a large number of specific nectar flows, resulting in some amazing honey varieties. There are a number of artisan honey producers that supply these type of niche flavors, including those produced from the Ohia Lehua and Christmas Berry trees.

Varroa Mites

In the 2000s varroa mites almost completely destroyed the beekeeping industry on the Big Island and Oahu. As a result, importing bees into Hawaii is now illegal.

What do bees need in the tropics?

Bees need the morning sun and then later in the day they need some shade. If bees are grown at slightly higher altitudes, then full sun may be suitable since the overall temperature may be cooler. Bees also need easy access to water. This might be as simple as a bird bath or a shallow dish of water. Shelter from the wind is also needed, since wind can cause rain to be driven into the hives, disrupting the temperature of the hive. Bees also like their privacy, and flourish when kept away from heavy foot traffic or other human activity.

Types of honey

Pure Honey: This means it’s 100% honey, no other ingredients (such as corn syrup).

Raw honey: Is pure honey that has not been heated to the point of pasteurization – retaining all the extra goodness of honey, such as the natural enzymes and vitamins.

Organic honey: Organic honey is produced using pollen from only organically grown plants (no pesticides).

Unfiltered honey: Is honey that has not been filtered – the process by which very small particles are removed. This makes the honey close to the honey that is removed directly from the hive.

Where to get it!

The Big Island Bees honey farm is only a short drive from Horizon Guest House. Visit the farm and experience a beekeeping tour, visit the museum and enjoy a free honey tasting!

Bees on the Big Island

Big Island Bees is a family-owned and operated business. The store and museum is open to the public (including tours) and is a great opportunity to find out how honey is produced, and made into a variety of different products.

Even if you aren’t interested in the tour the store and museum make for an interesting stop on the way down to Two Steps or Kealakekua Bay.

When and where?

Author: Angus Meek

Bees on the Big Island

Did you know

Plants that help the bees

Varroa Mites

What do bees need in the tropics?

Types of honey

Where to get it!

The Big Island is the home of Hawaiian honey, so make sure you try some of Hawaii’s best kept secret!

Author: Angus Meek