You are strolling down the isles at the farmers market when you noticed a vendor selling honey. A big sign printed with the words, “Local Honey” poked you right in the face. You see a lot of other customers buying from him, so you felt comfortable to buy from him as well. After all, it’s Local Honey! Nice. However the question is, is that honey really good and healthy for your family?
Let me ask you a question. Did you know that most of the honeybee hives in the USA are transported all over the country to pollinate commercial agricultural crops which are dependent on the use of toxic herbicides and pesticides? Most honey producers provide “pollination services” to farmers in order to supplement their bottom line. Providing such services put a lot of stress on the bee colonies, and as you could imagine, pollutes “local honey” with pesticides and herbicides from the monoculture fields. Your honey may be local, but it could be laced with pesticides and herbicides from nearby or distant pesticide sprayed fields.
As you can see, the term "local honey" does not mean a lot. There are other factors that are more important in choosing your honey jar. Here are some things that can help you make a better purchase decision:

• How big are the honeybee yards? - Smaller yards mean less stress for the bess because of less competition for resources. It also means higher quality honey.
• Are the beehives stationary? - If the beekeeper does not participate in migratory pollination, those hives will be stationary.
• Hive locations - Are the bees kept away from the pesticide and mass monoculture agriculture areas?
• Beehive Woodware - Are they using natural wood in their beehives? Or pressure treated wood. (Chemical laced wood that lasts much longer, but can cause adulterated honey.

Finding a reputable beekeeper could be a challenge. However, asking some of the questions we mentioned above should put you in the position to find a better honey jar without falling into the trap of a “local honey” mit.