Department of Agriculture

HONOLULU – The Hawai`i Department of Agriculture’s Apiary Program and the Kaua`i Beekeepers Association (KBEE) will be co-hosting a Kaua`i Grown Honey Tasting at the Kaua`i County Farm Bureau Fair Grand Opening Night on Thursday, August 25^th from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Vidinha Stadium in Lihue.   The event will take place at the Kaua`i Grown Demonstration Area.

Honeys from Kaua`i will be featured and attendees will be able to taste the difference between a variety of honeys produced on the island.  “There are as many kinds of honey as there are flowers,” said Danielle Downey, Apiary Specialist with the Hawai`i Department of Agriculture.  “You can taste the difference in location and season and the honey may vary from year to year.”

“We are excited to collaborate with the Department of Agriculture to get the word out about honeybee pests and the host of issues that beekeepers have been facing,” says Jimmy Trujillo of KBEE.  “We need to stress the importance of bees and their contribution to diversified agriculture.”

Kaua`i beekeepers who would like their honey included in the tasting event, may contact 
Joyce Takahashi at 808-245-9072.

Downey, along with other members of the State Apiary Program and Kaua`i beekeepers will be available to answer questions about bees and honey at the fair.  Downey, who is based in Hilo, will also be meeting in the field with local beekeepers on her visit.

Awareness of honeybees has been on the rise lately and has been boosted even more with the arrival of three new bee pests to Hawai`i:  1) the varroa mite, which reduces the survival and reproduction of bees, 2) the small hive beetle, which eats it way through everything in a beehive and spoils honey with its droppings, and 3) a new species of nosema, a single-celled gut parasite of bees.   These pests threaten both the local honey industry and the queen bee industry, which exports queens to beekeepers around the world.  Kaua`i remains the only county free of both varroa mite and small hive beetle. 

The Kaua`i County Farm Bureau Fair runs from August 25^th to 28^th.  For more information on fair hours and schedule of events, go to:  https://kauaifarmfair.org/

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