Beekeepers at Work

Sticky Stuff Beekeeping technician performing a honey bee health inspection & bee hive maintenance. This is in one of our South African apiary sites (collection of bee hives) in a natural area, that then produces raw natural, and often organic honey. Seen in the image is are the wooden components of a bee hive. The brood box below (for bee larvae and resources) and a super box (above) for the sustainable harvesting of honey.

Perfectly capped super frame (honey harvesting frame) containing a light seasonally available Wild Flower honey from South Africa. This is an example of how honey is found directly in the beehive. To keep our honey raw, we simply remove the wax cappings and spin the frames in a specialized honey centrifuge at room temperature. This way the honey contains all of the raw health elements.

Wonderful day training rural beekeepers as part of our Bee The Change Initiative Our vision: To make a positive impact in Africa through participatory beekeeping, by empowering rural beekeepers with modern beekeeping practices, and supporting them through ongoing entrepreneurial, practical & market support.

500 g Glass Jar Raw Honey Wild Flower variety. This is crystal clear honey, filtered once using a 800 micron honey filter. This is recommended to remove large debris while retaining the beneficial pollen and other natural components. Allowing for a good balance between clarity and maintaining the honey's health benefits.

Sticky Stuff Beekeeping Technicians & BeeKeeping the Change participants inspect the brood (within the brood box component of a Langstroth wooden beehive). Monitoring queen bee activity & egg production, as well as bee larvae, pollen & honey reserves. This newly established bee colony is being carefully nurtured towards full production status. It takes around 2 years for a colony to start producing enough honey that it can be sustainably harvested by a conscientious beekeeper

At Sticky Stuff Beekeeping we have opted to mainly use Langstroth Wooden Beehives in our honey production operations. Langstroth hives have numerous advantages. The consist of modular box sections. Here is a part of this system that shows a brood frame. The brood compartments are used by the queen worker and drone bees to live out their daily living requirements. Eggs are laid, larvae is reared and honey and pollen stored. Enough so that the colony survives winter

At Sticky Stuff honey, not only do we retail honey in our online South African Honey store, but we also visit the artisanal farmers markets around the country. We have a passion for beautiful presentation and diligent operations. This is shown all the way from the excellent health of our hives through to our premium quality honey and honey bee products.

Bee Removal services are offered as a service fee. Our technicians remove the unwanted and potentially dangerous colony from business premises and residential properties, and install them in managed bee hives in rural and semi rural areas in South Africa. Through this we support Saving the Bees. We never kill or poison a bee colony.

The pollen, which is the nutrient food used to rear larvae and young bees is seen on the legs of the bees. This is where the saying ''its the bees knees'' from.

Honey Infusions. These are an Interesting Honey Type where raw honey is slowly and under normal temperatures infused with a range of herbs, spices, flowers and botanicals. These additions offer an additive benefit to regular honey. For example Lemon Infusion Honey for colds and flu, or Cinnamon Infusion Honey for treating a cough

The honey crown seen at the bottom of the frame. Bees use honey as a reserve feed for worker bees, especially in winter or times of dearth. Pollen, seen in the center/sides is used for rearing young bees. In the center of the frame (where the temperature is more constant) there are signs of eggs, larvae and empty brood cells.

Here we, at Sticky Stuff, removed a large colony from a chimney in a farm house in the Drakensberg, and established a operational bee farm at the same property. For almost 15 years we've consulted for & implemented influential, often, international Beekeeping & Wildlife projects and enterprises​ when it comes to all things beekeeping.

In house workshop and hive manufacturing facility.

Fresh honeycomb tubs are seasonally available. This is honey in its purest form, as found in the beehive. It includes honey, in the wax housing called honey comb.

Sticky Stuff creamed raw honey is pure natural raw honey, using our Wild Flower variety.  Our extraction process involves no heat, no preservatives or artificial flavourants, and is not irradiated.  Creamed honey is a special process which gives the honey a smooth spreadable consistency.

This was one of the very first bee removals we completed at Sticky Stuff Beekeeping. The colony was situated in the bottom of an unused couch. The hive was successfully relocated to a safe area, and is still with us today 10 years later. This shows the care and consideration we give to our bee colonies. They have produced many a wonderful bottle of honey, for which we are ever so grateful