WHEREAS, honey is made from flower nectar, which is collected by bees, naturally broken down into simple sugars and stored in honeycombs; and

WHEREAS, a beehive of bees may collectively travel as many as 55,000 miles and may visit as many as two million flowers to gather enough nectar to make one pound of honey; and

WHEREAS, honey bees were first introduced to North America by the Virginia Company of London, and several beehives departed from England in 1621 and arrived at the settlement in Jamestown in March 1622; and

WHEREAS, honey bees subsequently became an essential part of farm communities, and hives were found outside the homes of many early colonists as honey bees spread to nearby woods and began to thrive in the region; and

WHEREAS, in 2022, Virginia’s commercial beekeepers harvested honey from 7,000 bee colonies which yielded an average of approximately 38 pounds per colony, with a total production that was valued at more than $2 million; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services distributed 1,222 beehive units to 473 Virginia residents, through the Beehive Distribution Program in fiscal year 2022-2023, to help counteract dramatic honeybee losses in the state by assisting beekeepers in establishing new hives; and

WHEREAS, honey is used in many culinary capacities with many of Virginia’s Finest companies either adding spices and herbs to the natural sweetener to modify the flavor, crafting meats, candies, condiments or including it in sauces and other items; and

WHEREAS, honey contains antioxidants, minerals, and enzymes, and it is widely used medicinally to heal wounds, help digestive issues, as a natural cough remedy, and to treat oily or acne prone skin; and

WHEREAS, much of the honey in Virginia is harvested during September, and Virginia Honey Month is an opportunity to acknowledge the work of those harvesting honey and the value of honey to Virginians;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize September 2023, as VIRGINIA HONEY MONTH in our COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of our citizens.