# How local is local honey???



## CentralPAguy (Feb 8, 2009)

I have individuals who suffer from allergies who come to buy local honey from me and they immediately ask where is the honey coming from. I provide them the towns and zipcodes and it got me thinking how many miles must exist before it is no longer considered local. I am guessing 20 to 25 miles. So what do other people think?


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## Solomon Parker (Dec 21, 2002)

Scientifically speaking, it doesn't actually matter. When people ask about local honey helping allergies, all I will confirm is that people claim it to be the case. However, if anyone asks for the real story, I tell them the scientific truth. Which of these is the case? Anecdotal evidence is often unreliable, however scientific studies rarely take all factors into consideration.

I think I'd accept even up to 50 miles. Closer is better, and you can pay for whatever you want to buy.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Unless someone thinks that other than their own back yard isn't close enuf to be locally beneficial than I remind them that flora is quite similar across the State and what they are allergic to is found in the same places that my bees forage.

I'm starting to hold back on my own opinions. Sell your customers what they want and let them think what they wish. Oft times telling them anything different than what they already believe causes confusion and they don't appreciate you telling them.


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## HVH (Feb 20, 2008)

The problem is that customers have been conditioned, often times, to follow commonly used definitions for local produce which are based more on the degradation of produce during shipment and such. Local produce may be fresher but that has little bearing on honey. As Mark stated it has everything to do with the flora being common over a particular geography which can include a much greater distance than would be good for produce.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I know a lot of people who claim it works. I have no allergies and no personal experience to base an opinion on as far as it helping with allergies, however the theory is that you are getting a different kind of exposure to the local pollen. Assuming this theory is correct then what matters is the varieties of plants that bloom where the person with allergies gets exposed, matching the varieties of plants around the bees. Similar plants might exist for hundreds of miles in every direction or, in the case of a microclimate, may exist only in that one valley or other geographic feature causing the microclimate, of only few miles.


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## Jim 134 (Dec 1, 2007)

Michael Bush said:


> I know a lot of people who claim it works. I have no allergies and no personal experience to base an opinion on as far as it helping with allergies, however the theory is that you are getting a different kind of exposure to the local pollen. Assuming this theory is correct then what matters is the varieties of plants that bloom where the person with allergies gets exposed, matching the varieties of plants around the bees. Similar plants might exist for hundreds of miles in every direction or, in the case of a microclimate, may exist only in that one valley or other geographic feature causing the microclimate, of only few miles.



Their are similar plants that do exist 400 miles or so from my house in Athol,Massachusetts 01331 USA


BEE HAPPY Jim 134


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Michael Bush said:


> however the theory is that you are getting a different kind of exposure to the local pollen. Assuming this theory is correct then what matters is the varieties of plants that bloom where the person with allergies gets exposed, matching the varieties of plants around the bees.


Wehave had this conversation a number of times before and I'll say again, the pollen in the honey is not the pollen one is allergic to. So, it has been suggested that just being exposed to pollen in some way gives one a subliminal exposure to POLLEN which produces a bodily reaction which boosts one's resistance to that pollen one is allergic to.

Personally I doubt that this is true. More likely what happens is the season passes. Otherwise, wouldn't one become fully desensitized to the allergan? That's what happens in allergy therapy. One does not have to go thru a series of allergy shots every year the rest of one's life, do they?

Placebo effect.


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## beemandan (Dec 5, 2005)

sqkcrk said:


> Otherwise, wouldn't one become fully desensitized to the allergan? That's what happens in allergy therapy.


Or a more accurate analogy might be an allergy to bee stings. As one continues to get stung....does their reaction get less? Usually it gets progressively worse.
This is not a simple issue.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

If you are writing about someone who is truely allergic to honeybee sting than yes, getting stung is deadly and not something someone should treat on their own. There is a direct correlation of cause and effect. Not so w/ pollen causing allergic reaction and pollen in honey. And, one can be desensitized to honeybee sting by allergy therapy, under a Doctors care.

One should never make medically related claims concerning honey. One should never lead someone to believe that you believe they should take honey for medicinal purposes. This could open one to legal action. Certainly never put anything on a label which would prompt someone to use your honey to treat their allergy.

"Hi, I have heard that eating local honey will help me w/ my allergies. Is this local honey?" Answer, "Yes, it is. Would you like to buy some?".

"Hi, I have heard that eating local honey helps relieve allergies." Reply: "Yes, I have heard that too? Would you like to buy some honey? What abouit this 5 lb jar?"

"I have heard that honey made locally will help w/ allergies. How close to my house does this honey come from?" Reply: "Twentyfive miles." "Oh, that isn't close enuf." Reply: "What are you allergic to?" "I am not allergic to anything. I just want local honey because I have heard it is good for you."

The last one was an actual conversation I had one time. People buy stuff for all sorts of reasons. Let them have what they want. Sometimes what they want is to be allowed their misconceptions. It's a sort of security.


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## lazy shooter (Jun 3, 2011)

I'm and engineer, and the social studies are a mystery to me, but if someone thinks local honey helps with their allergies, humor them. There is an old friend of mine that thinks peroxide cures all ills. He is 90 years old and be is sure he is still here because of peroxide. I don't think that is the case, but bully for him if he believes it. 

I don't know anything about plants, pollen and bees, but I do know that certain soils in different locations bear different tasting veggies and fruits.


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## KQ6AR (May 13, 2008)

I agree its all about the plants. Where we live people 20 mile from us can grow plants that would die here. We have freezes in the winter, but its very uncommon for them to because of the ocean affect.


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## wildbeekeeper (Jul 3, 2010)

generally speaking "local" can mean what ever ecoregion you are in for planting...zone 1, zone 5,6 etc...they all have the same type of climates and will generally have the same types of plants growing. On the other hand, "Locavores" - people who only buy local foods have a defined zone of 120 miles. Ive ran into people who wont buy honey if it is further than 5 miles from their house...I then suggest they get their own hive


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