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Abstract
Among almost all natural food goods, honey is probably one of the most unique in terms of its
production history and importance. It is often a by-product from the primary function of pollination
by bees. Honey color and flavor is directly related to the types of plants being pollinated.
For some agricultural products, honey has limited economic value beyond the food
source for the bees, while for others, such as citrus, the value of the honey is much greater since
the flavor, texture, and color yields highly desirable honey attributes. Bee pollination is essential
to almost every sector of agriculture. For some agriculture goods, beekeepers recoup their
returns through payment for the pollination services. When the pollination leads to desirable
honey varieties, the value of the honey serves as the indirect payment for pollination services.
Hence, the economic viability of the honey market is an essential element for supporting the bee
colonies needed for pollination. A weak honey market should directly affect beekeepers’ abilities
to provide essential pollination services to all agriculture sectors. Efforts to enhance the
demand for honey clearly have implications far beyond just the value of the honey since the cost
of pollination would be significantly higher if it were not for the sales of honey.