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Home to the world-famous, certified White Tupelo honey
Florida Honey Directory
Your Complete Guide to Fresh, Local Honey
Florida is a legendary hub for beekeeping, hosting over 650,000 managed colonies. The state is world-renowned for "Liquid Gold" Tupelo honey, harvested in the Panhandle swamps, and the fragrant Orange Blossom honey of the central ridges. Florida’s mild winters make it a vital wintering ground for commercial beekeepers nationwide.
Photo by Richard Sagredo on Unsplash
Photo by Richard Sagredo on Unsplash
What Sets Florida Apart
Florida Honey Scene Highlights
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Ranks 4th nationally in commercial honey production
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Primary wintering and staging ground for migratory US beekeepers
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Protected backyard beekeeping rights via state-level statutory preemption
Local Varietals
Honey Types Found in Florida
Florida Bee & Honey Profile
State Flower
Orange Blossom
Honey Color
Water white with a greenish cast to dark amber
Peak Harvest
May, June, October
Primary Nectar Plants
Ogeche TupeloOrange BlossomSaw PalmettoGallberryBlack MangroveBrazilian PepperSpanish Needle
Florida Bloom Calendar
Interactive year-round nectar flow guide
Peak nectar flow: March, April, May, September, October
Bloom Calendar
Seasonal Nectar Flow
Click any month on the wheel to explore local forage details.
Minimal / Baseline
Moderate Flow
Peak Nectar Flow
Peak Nectar Flow
May
The biggest native wild harvest hits. Vast tracts of saw palmetto and gallberry bushes provide a heavy, rich, and dark nectar flow.
The Florida Honey Story
Beekeeping in Florida is a massive, year-round powerhouse enterprise. The state operates as the cradle of American apiculture; every autumn, hundreds of thousands of colonies travel down from the Midwest and Northeast to stage in Florida’s mild winter zones ahead of the California almond pollination rush. For permanent local apiaries, the year is defined by quick, hyper-localized flows—chasing the brief two-week tupelo window along the Apalachicola river systems before rushing hives down south to catch the dense saw palmetto flatwoods.
Fun Fact
Pure Florida Tupelo honey has a naturally high concentration of fructose relative to glucose, which allows it to remain in a liquid state for decades without ever crystallizing.
From the Blog
Honey Knowledge
Recipes & Culinary
Honey Syrup for Cocktails
A five-minute honey syrup that blends seamlessly into shaken and stirred drinks — all the floral depth of raw honey, none of the clumping.
By Art Marks
Recipes & Culinary
Bee's Knees Cocktail
The classic Prohibition-era gin sour, sweetened with honey syrup instead of sugar.
By Art Marks
Recipes & Culinary
Honey Hot Toddy
Whiskey, honey, lemon, and hot water — the cold-weather classic.
By Art Marks
Florida Honey Production
By the Numbers
#4
National Rank
by honey production
13.2M lbs
Annual Honey
USDA NASS 2024 Honey Report (Released March 2025)
210,000
Managed Colonies
USDA NASS 2024 Honey Report (Released March 2025)
5,000
Registered Beekeepers
The USDA NASS figures specifically catalog resident, honey-producing commercial baseline entities with 5 or more colonies. The actual, lived environmental colony footprint inside Florida borders dramatically swells past 650,000 managed hives during the late autumn and winter seasons due to hundreds of out-of-state migratory commercial operations overwintering in the state before staging for Western almond crops.
Featured Apiaries in Florida
Connect with these premier honey producers for the best local experience
Upcoming Honey Events in Florida
Don't miss these exciting honey and beekeeping events in Florida
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Beekeeping Regulations
Hive Registrationyes
Backyard Beekeepingyes
All apiaries must be registered with the FDACS Division of Plant Industry. Under Florida Chapter 586, state regulations preempt local municipal bans, protecting the right to manage backyard hives as long as FDACS inspector setback limits are maintained.
Associations & Resources
State Dept. of Agriculture
Apiary ProgramFlorida Geography & Climate
Climate Zones
Humid SubtropicalTropical Wet-and-DryUSDA Zones 8b-11a
Notable Beekeeping Regions
- •Apalachicola River Basin
- •Central Ridge Orange Groves
- •Flatwood Pine Forests
- •Everglades Everglades Fringe
Elevation Range
Sea level to 345 feet (Britton Hill)
High humidity profiles require meticulous honey house dehumidification systems during extraction loops to prevent moisture percentages from exceeding official grading guidelines.