The Tropical Blossom Honey Co., Inc. in Edgewater, Florida

In Edgewater Florida, there is the Tropical Blossom Honey Company, Inc., housing Florida's finest varieties of honey. This is the headquarters of the famous company, located on U.S.1 (106 N. Ridgewood Avenue) in Edgewater, just before the Edgewater Post Office, when heading south. This company has been in business since 1940, when David and Helen McGinnis first started. The company has remained multi-generational, having been passed onto their son and daughter, who are still active in the company.

I interviewed the original owner's daughter, and she talked with me about how her parents traveled all around the world for the American Beekeeping Federation and U.S. Agricultural Department, and the current state of the bee colonies, and how their numbers are dwindling in Florida, and nationwide.

She said that the current opinion over dwindling numbers deals with various hypothesis, including a possible bee "dementia". She said the bees are leaving the colony, becoming disoriented, and not knowing how to get back, though their deaths are questionable, since there aren't large numbers of dead bees around the hives. The babies and food are being left behind, and if this continues, it could adversely affect Florida and the nation's food supply, for without the bees, there is practically no pollination and vegetation.

This dwindling of the bees has affected her business, and beekeepers nationwide, but she remains optimistic, for current measures are underway to try to prevent this from getting worse, and to figure out what exactly has happened. Mites are only part of the bee problem, along with the weather having severely affected the cones as well. Deadly frosts do damage to bee cones, the ideal weather for honey being well into the spring and summer months, and this past season was indeed cold, with various cold fronts.

Looking around the store, there are rows of variety, bottled liquid gold, so to speak, consisting of various unique and rare types, including: Orange Blossom, which is Florida's premier honey, Palmetto, from the saw palmetto palm, Tropical wildflower, from Florida's wooded and swampy areas, Tupelo, a more rare honey, for northern Florida's tupelo gum trees in the Apalachicola River area is the only place that produces this naturally sweet-tasting type, Honeycomb honey, the kind with the honey comb inside, Tropical Blossoms, from south Florida, and a variety of citrus, and other uniquely Floridian flavors.

Inside the store there is a lot of information about honey, and one can learn a lot just by visiting. There is also a lovely display area of vintage honey collectibles, that were donated by various deceased beekeepers families. Local honey is a medicinal treat, especially for people who suffer from allergies. Eating local honey acts as a desensitization to environmental triggers, unless one is allergic to honey, obviously. Honey also acts as a nutritious, natural sweetener. Florida is known for its wondrous and unique flora and fauna, and Florida has some of the best natural food products resulting from the uniquely Floridian southern plant life. Florida honey can be enjoyed by everyone, except children under two years old. Below are some links to learn more about bees, Florida honey, and the company. There is a good movie staring Peter Fonda called Ulee's Gold as well. It is about a beekeeper, and was filmed on location in various parts of central Florida.

Sources and Links:

The Tropical Blossom Honey Co., Inc.
The National Honey Board: www.honey.com
Florida State Beekepers Association: www.floridabeekeepers.org
University of Florida Beekeeping Extention-Bee College and the New Master Beekeeping Program: http://entnemdept.ifas.ufl.edu/honeybee
University of Florida Africanized Bee Extention and Education Website: http://afbee.ifas.ufl.edu
Honeybee Seminars: www.tampabaybeekeepers.com