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NorCal Nectar

NorCal Nectar Journal

Raw honey, honey sticks & beekeeping

Buying guides, serving maths, recipes and hive management — written to answer one question at a time, with the sources shown.

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Each hub collects the articles for one subject and links to the product they are about.

Raw Honey

What raw honey actually is, how to tell it apart from filtered supermarket honey, and how Northern California wildflower honey tastes through the season.

Honey Sticks

Serving sizes, pack maths, age safety, and how honey sticks work for tea, lunchboxes, events and businesses.

Recipes

Cooking, baking, drinks and infusions that use raw honey as an ingredient rather than a garnish.

Beekeeping

Hive management, seasonal timing, pests, equipment and California regulations — written for first- and second-year beekeepers.

43 articles · page 2 of 4

Beekeeping & Sustainability

How to Split a Beehive: The Complete Beginner's Guide to Making Increase

Beekeeping & Sustainability

How to Split a Beehive: The Complete Beginner's Guide to Making Increase

Splitting a beehive is the most reliable way to prevent swarms, multiply your colonies for free, and build the pattern-recognition skills that separate intermediate beekeepers from beginners. This guide walks you through five proven split methods, exact timing windows, the equipment you need, and a step-by-step field walkthrough — so your first split ends with two healthy colonies instead of two struggling ones.

20 min read

Beekeeping & Sustainability

Best Online Beekeeping Courses Compared (2026)

Online beekeeping courses range from free extension courses to Cornell's $899 master certificate program. This comparison covers university programs, extension courses, a regional Northern California course, and self-paced platforms, with prices checked in September 2026 and honest notes on what each teaches and who it suits.

18 min read

Beekeeping & Sustainability

How to Find a Beekeeping Mentor: Clubs, Programs, and What to Look For

Beekeeping & Sustainability

How to Find a Beekeeping Mentor: Clubs, Programs, and What to Look For

A good beekeeping mentor cuts your learning curve by years and keeps colonies alive through mistakes that would otherwise end them. This guide covers where to find one — local clubs, state associations, university programs, and online communities — plus what to look for and how to be the kind of mentee who earns ongoing help.

19 min read

Beekeeping & Sustainability

Neonicotinoids and Bees: What Every Beekeeper Should Know About Pesticide Exposure

Beekeeping & Sustainability

Neonicotinoids and Bees: What Every Beekeeper Should Know About Pesticide Exposure

Neonicotinoids are the most widely used insecticides on the planet, and they are quietly devastating bee colonies even at doses too low to kill outright. This guide breaks down exactly how these pesticides affect honey bees, where global bans stand heading into 2026, and what beekeepers and gardeners can do to protect pollinators.

15 min read

Beekeeping & Sustainability

How Much Does It Cost to Start Beekeeping? A Realistic First-Year Budget

Beekeeping & Sustainability

How Much Does It Cost to Start Beekeeping? A Realistic First-Year Budget

Your first hive will cost $500-$1,050 all-in, but half the 'starter kit' upsells are unnecessary. This line-by-line budget covers equipment, bees, mite treatments, feeding, and the hidden costs most beekeeping guides leave out — so you spend on what matters and skip what doesn't.

17 min read

Beekeeping & Sustainability

California Beekeeping Laws 2026: Fees & Checklist

Beekeeping & Sustainability

California Beekeeping Laws 2026: Fees & Checklist

California owners, brokers, and people possessing bee colonies register annually, confirm the current BeeWhere fee, separately request pesticide notification, and verify local rules.

8 min read

Beekeeping & Sustainability

Hive Inspection Checklist for Beginner Beekeepers

Beekeeping & Sustainability

Hive Inspection Checklist for Beginner Beekeepers

Regular hive inspections are the single most important habit separating thriving colonies from failed ones. This step-by-step checklist walks beginner beekeepers through every phase of an inspection — from lighting the smoker to reading brood patterns and recording findings — so you catch problems before they become colony losses.

17 min read

Propolis

How to Make Propolis Tincture at Home: DIY Guide

A 70% ethanol extraction pulls the highest concentration of polyphenols and flavonoids from raw propolis. This step-by-step guide covers everything from freezing and grinding raw propolis to filtering, bottling, and dosing your finished tincture — plus the science behind why each step matters.

17 min read

Beekeeping & Sustainability

Colony Collapse Crisis 2026: What Record Bee Losses Mean and How You Can Help

Beekeeping & Sustainability

Colony Collapse Crisis 2026: What Record Bee Losses Mean and How You Can Help

The 2024-2025 season recorded the highest honeybee colony losses since tracking began — 55.6% of managed colonies gone. This guide breaks down what's driving colony collapse disorder heading into 2026, the real-world consequences for food prices and agriculture, and concrete steps you can take to help reverse the decline.

13 min read

Beekeeping & Sustainability

How to Make Beeswax Candles: Rolled, Dipped & Poured

Beekeeping & Sustainability

How to Make Beeswax Candles: Rolled, Dipped & Poured

Beeswax candles burn 2-3 times longer than paraffin, produce virtually no soot, and fill a room with a natural honey scent. This guide walks through three methods — rolled, dipped, and poured — with complete supply lists, step-by-step instructions, and troubleshooting for each.

19 min read

Beekeeping & Sustainability

Bee Photography Tips: How to Capture Stunning Macro Shots of Pollinators

A single honey bee visits 50-1,000 flowers per foraging trip, and each visit lasts just 2-3 seconds. Capturing that moment demands the right gear, settings, and approach. This guide covers everything from DSLR macro setups to iPhone macro mode, with field-tested techniques for sharp, publishable bee photos.

17 min read

Shop while you read

Every guide above points at one of these.

Raw California Honey

Unfiltered wildflower honey in 16, 32 and 64 oz.

Pure Honey Sticks

One teaspoon of raw honey per sealed straw. Seven pack sizes, 10 to 1000.

The Complete Beekeeper Course

Eight written modules on Northern California beekeeping.

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