Harbour Honey is a micro apiary based in Honey Harbour, Georgian Bay, Muskoka, Ontario. Selling small batch honey, gourmet honey products, and hive tours in the local community of Honey Harbour.
Inspired by the village name of Honey Harbour and its origin, the name of Harbour Honey came to mind. Historically water, islands, and bees are very important to our local community. Harbour Honey is a reflection of the area of Honey Harbour and its location on Georgian Bay, Muskoka.
Honey Harbour was once a location for bee studies in the early 1800’s. Bee hives were sent from Beeton, Ontario, by train. The main reason for studies being done in Honey Harbour was due to the easy and direct access to many of the islands on Georgian Bay. Because bees don’t cross large bodies of water, it was the prime location to conduct concentrated studies on: honeybees, honeybee behavior, bee navigation, health benefits of bee products, breeding, and honeybee diseases; without cross contamination of colonies from nearby islands. This allowed researchers to investigate and collect information in the same environment as the other nearby island apiaries allowing for more conclusive results.
When settlers first arrived to Honey Harbour and started to build homes and cottages on islands, evidence of honeybees were discovered. Honeybees have shown importance to the First Nations Huron Tribe, early lumbermen, and tourism. The Royal Hotel was first built in 1897, now the Delawana Resort. Honey Harbour was first named Royal Honey Harbour, with the loss of the Royal name over time, this location is now Honey Harbour. We still see this rich history within the local community as local shops have taken on titles such as “The Hive”.
Harbour Honey can reconnect the community to its roots, and provide learning opportunities about the local history and beekeeping.