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Welcome to the Hive!
Pure, Raw Iowa Honey ~
crafted one small batch at a time.
We specialize in pure, raw honey harvested from individual Iowa apiaries, allowing each landscape to tell its own story. From delicate Black Locust to richly flavored Wildflower and Linden honey, every jar reflects the flowers, the season, and the remarkable work of our bees.
Five Iowa Apiaries ~ Unpasteurized ~ Distinct Honey Varietals
The Rhythm of an Iowa Honey Season
Every jar of honey tells the story of one season, one landscape, and thousands of hardworking honey bees.
Honey isn't made on demand—it follows the rhythm of nature. From the first spring blossoms to the final harvest in August, every jar reflects one unique Iowa season. Discover how bees, flowers, and the weather work together to create the honey in your jar.
Give the Gift of a Honey Tasting Experience
Different places. Different nectar sources. Can you taste the difference?
Two Honey Tasting Scorecards are included, so you can compare notes — and favorites.
Turn a gift of Iowa honey into an experience to share. Gather family or friends, taste several Just Iowa Honey varietals side by side, and discover the differences together. Our honey sampler packs include Honey Tasting Scorecards to help you compare aroma, flavor, texture and finish — and see if everyone chooses the same favorite.
Continue the experience
Learn the Art of Tasting Honey ~ Create a Honey Charcuterie Board
We love bees. And honey.
In that order.
The Heritage Collection
A thoughtfully curated collection celebrating the beauty of Iowa, the craftsmanship of the beekeeper, and the remarkable work of the honey bee.
Discover small-batch varietal honeys, artisan gifts, and elegant collections created to be treasured, shared, and remembered.
Thoughtfully crafted. Distinctly Iowa.
The Heritage Collection
Gifts That Leave a Sweet Impression
From sweet little gestures to custom gift trays and beautifully curated Heritage Collections, there’s something for every occasion.
Sweet Expressions Honey Gifts
Small Gifts.
Sweet Sentiments.
Custom Honey Gifts
Choose your favorites.
We'll make it beautiful.
The Heritage Collection
Thoughtfully crafted. Distinctly Iowa.
Sweet Celebrations by Just Iowa Honey
Custom honey favors for any occasion.
Click into the gallery for full-screen viewing.
Sweet Memories Begin Here. Every favor begins with our small-batch Iowa honey. We create personalized labels featuring your logo, names, dates, or custom artwork to create a gift your guests will actually enjoy taking home.
EXPLORE THE HIVE
KIND WORDS FROM OUR CUSTOMERS
I cannot say enough great things about Just Iowa Honey and Valerie. First of all, the honey is the best tasting I have ever had, second, Val was so nice and accommodating. I had an idea of a wedding gift and she helped me from the start to completing. I ordered 65 jars of honey and she came through. Val will always have a place in our heart. Look no where else for your honey needs. SIMPLY THE BEST!!
The Honey is incredible. It has what makes Local Honey the best by far - passionately handled with care and love. The packaging was beautifully thought out. Extremely customer friendly. Thank you Just Iowa Honey for your passionate hard work it really shines through your products.
Valerie was a dream to work with from start to finish!!! I wanted a custom label for mini hexagon jars and she mocked up several choices for me and made the process so easy. The jars turned out beautifully, I had colleagues gushing over how great they looked. Appreciated her helpfulness every step of the ordering process. I would 100% recommend working with this business for any honey gift needs!
I am a totally devoted Just Iowa Honey customer and a frequent buyer as the premium honey is second to none. Once I tried pure raw unfiltered honey there was no going back and Just Iowa Honey is conveniently located and their honey is indescribably delicious. I purchased a jar of it to send to a Kansas bee keeping friend so she could taste what I am always bragging about. She loved it! I will be back for more at the next harvest. Go bees!!!
A Seasonal Note
Fall brings much activity for both the bees and the beekeeper!
John has been busy finishing the clean-up of the honey supers for winter storage and managing mites to help ensure our colonies are healthy as they head into the winter months.
That work becomes even more important in October. We make sure each colony has enough food stored for winter, install mouse guards and reduce hive entrances, add moisture boards to help manage condensation, and wrap the colonies in either insulated quilts or corrugated black boxes to provide protection from the wind and cold. If a colony is light on food, we may provide sugar syrup for a short time, until temperatures become too cool for the bees to take it.
The bees are still busy, too, foraging for late-season nectar and pollen. Here at our Des Moines apiary, they have plenty of native fall plantings to keep them working.
And if they haven't started already, they'll soon be kicking the drones to the curb!
It's sometimes called the drone purge. As fall arrives, worker bees stop feeding the drones. As the drones weaken, the workers begin herding them toward the hive entrance and encouraging them to leave. The guard bees then make sure they don't find their way back inside.
While that might sound cruel, it's an important part of the colony's preparation for winter. Remember, drones have one purpose: to mate with queens. They don't forage for nectar or pollen, perform other jobs within the colony, or even have a stinger.
Once the summer honey flow ends and mating season winds down, drones change from an asset to a liability. Every drone remaining in the hive consumes precious honey reserves that the colony will need to survive the long Iowa winter.
It's one more fascinating example of how a honey bee colony works together—not simply as thousands of individual bees, but almost as one living organism preparing itself for the season ahead.