“To bee or not to bee” was the question in 2000 when VanDusen Botanical Garden installed four hives of honey bees as an aid to pollination. No one realized at the time that in addition to pollination, there would be a sweet bonus at the end of the summer. 

It turns out that each hive, containing between 35,000 to 50,000 bees, produces an average of 60 pounds of honey per year.  Of the total production, 20 to 40 pounds is surplus to the needs of the hive and can be harvested, which is what VanDusen does each year when it puts the bees to bed in the autumn. The hives are winterized and the last honey combs are removed and replaced with special syrup which feeds the bees until the coming of spring when they once again start to produce garden gold.

From the bees’ perspective, the Garden is a paradise containing flowers from every corner of the globe and the honey’s complex character reflects this.  VanDusen Garden Honey is organic, pure, un-pasteurized and golden in colour with a flavour redolent of sun and flowers. 

Priced at $8.99 per 250 ml bottle, this artisan honey is available exclusively in VanDusen’s Garden Shop. Proceeds from the sale of VanDusen Honey help the Garden to grow.

You can’t ask for a sweeter deal than that – you enjoy the honey while supporting the Garden, a registered non-profit charity.