Tupelo Honey Production Down in 2017

Fresh Tupelo Honey Is Here from North Florida

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 20:42:13 GMT

Who Is Your Honey Man?

Dear Tupelo Honey Florida Friends,

This is Jerry Garlick, owner of Tupelo Honey Florida in Apalachicola.

We are excited to let you know that this year’s Tupelo Honey harvest is here — and it is one of the best seasons we have seen in years.

Living and working deep in the swamps of North Florida’s Apalachicola River Basin, we wait all year for this short and special window when the tupelo trees bloom and the bees go to work.

Tupelo season only lasts about three weeks, which is part of what makes this honey so rare. This year, the honey is beautiful, nice and green, and full of the smooth, sweet flavor that makes real Florida Tupelo Honey so special.

The good news is that we have plenty of Tupelo Honey available right now to suit your needs. Whether you are stocking your pantry, sending a gift, or ordering your favorite honey before the season’s supply moves quickly, now is a great time to get yours.

You can order online anytime at:

https://www.tupelohoneyflorida.net

You can also call us at 850-653-3550 or visit us at 14 Avenue D in Apalachicola, Florida.

Thank you for supporting Tupelo Honey Florida and the tradition of real North Florida Tupelo Honey.

So, who’s your honey man?

Jerry Garlick
Tupelo Honey Florida
Apalachicola, Florida
https://www.tupelohoneyflorida.net
85 0 -653-3550

Tupelo Honey Production 2017 Update

ggarlick@fairpoint.net (Jerry Garlick) — Sun, 26 Mar 2017 18:46:57 GMT

Tupelo Honey 2017 Crop Forecast Improving

Recent forecasts of limited 2017 Tupelo Honey production , due to wandering bee syndrome and other causes, may have been overstated.

Things are looking up! The bees are making honey strong right now. They have stopped dying and we are actually back to building them up. In fact everything looks good at the apiary for a good honey production this year!

Currently, the bees are on high and low bush gallberry - part of the Holly family - a delicious Florida nectar source. Next will be the Palmetto which tastes somewhat like lavender.

The weather dictates what kind of season the Tupelo Honey crop will produce. In recent years, when you get a rainstorm and a windstorm at the same time, it washes off the bloom destroying the majority of tupelo tree buds and the bees had slim pickings from which to draw nectar, making for a severely limited supply of Tupelo Honey. It is a short, fast and furious season for everything to go right to produce a great Tupelo Honey season. I will keep you posted as the season unfolds.

I have plenty of Tupelo Honey on hand regardless of what happens in 2017. Tupelo Honey does not crystallize and I have an abundant supply.

So, Who’s Your Honey Man?

If you are looking to purchase Tupelo Honey, what many consider to be the "best honey in the world," call 850-653-3550. Or just order from the website.

Tupelo Honey Production Down in 2017

ggarlick@fairpoint.net (Jerry Garlick) — Thu, 05 Jan 2017 20:08:00 GMT

Tupelo Honey in Trouble

Tupelo honey production will be down in 2017 over prior years. Beekeepers in the Apalachicola and Ochlockonee Rivers basin are attributing the problem to “ wandering bee syndrome .” While the exact cause of the problem is unknown, the effects are quite well known - up to 70% of the bees are in trouble.

Beekeepers describe effected bees are leaving the beehives and not returning, thus the “wandering bee syndrome” moniker. They believe the problem has something to do with the brain, whereby the bee becomes confused and can’t find its way home.

Some of the causes may be:

Apocephalus Borealis - leading cause of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), this is a parasitic fly which bites the bee and injects its eggs into them. The eggs hatch ultimately killing the bee.
Bacterial infection
Pesticides and fungicides

ZomBee Watch

Apocephalus Borealis has become such a problem in the nation, with the West Coast first reporting infections back in 2008 and East Coast’s first finding in Vermont in 2013 , that a grassroots initiative and website - ZomBee Watch - has been developed to report findings and infections.

So far there have been no findings or infections in Florida.

However, a bunch of students from Florida State University are investigating the problem. Shortly, they will be traveling 2 hours west to see the problem first hand and to begin studying the issue. Unfortunately, scientists have been trying to determine the cause of CCD for the last few years and no clear cause has been found to date.

Tupelo Trees to Bloom

What makes the problem even more acute is that the source of Tupelo Honey, the Tupelo Tree, is about to bloom for 2017. It's only a 3 week season and January and February are critical months for bee health and survival to produce in March, April, and May. With a 70% loss of bees, not to mention what inclement weather (hail in 2015) could do to the blossoms, tupelo honey production will be considerably down in 2017.

If there are no bees, there will be no tupelo honey.

Shortly, I will be traveling “deep into the swamp” and go to the apiaries to report on the condition of the bees, tupelo trees, and projections.

Fortunately, because of my close relationship with an Apalachicola and Ochlockonee Rivers basin beekeeper, I will be able to procure all of his production.

So, Who’s Your Honey Man?

If you are looking to purchase Tupelo Honey, call 850-653-3550. Or just order from the website.