When Is Your Honey Actually Harvested?
Explore indicative regional seasonal windows for 35 honey varieties across both hemispheres. The month bands help compare typical seasons; they are not current field observations or a record of when a particular jar was supered, extracted or packed. Ask the producer for the harvest and batch dates of the honey you are buying.
Based on FAO agribusiness handbooks, US university extension services (UF IFAS, OSU, Cornell), Persano Oddo & Piro (2004), Somerville's Honey and Pollen Flora of South-Eastern Australia, the NZ Ministry for Primary Industries, and the Spanish apicultural association ASEMIEL. Full source list and per-variety method: /learn/methodology. Published · ~7 min read.
6 listed seasonal windows overlap this month
These entries overlap the current calendar month in the reference table. A star marks the listed typical peak; actual conditions and producer harvest dates can differ.
Honeydew, not nectar — from Marchalina hellenica on Aleppo pine.
Late-autumn monsoon bloom in Wadi Doan.
Argentina is the world's 3rd-largest honey exporter.
Every major variety, one row each, plotted across the year
Each filled bar is the typical bloom window; the white dot is the peak month. Northern hemisphere varieties cluster between May and September. Southern hemisphere varieties cluster between November and February. There are only a handful of true year-round honeys — and nearly all of them are eucalyptus, because Australia is the only continent where eucalyptus species bloom in sequence across all four seasons.
There is no global “honey season” — there are two, half a year apart
Plot every variety on a 12-month clock and the two summers become obvious. Northern varieties stack at the top, peaking May through September. Southern varieties stack at the bottom, peaking November through February. Southern seasons can cross calendar years. A year on a jar does not identify its exact harvest period; check the producer's batch or harvest-date explanation.
What's peaking in every month of the year
Each card lists varieties whose peak flow lands in that month. Use this as a buying reference: these regional windows cannot establish the age or quality of an individual jar. Ask the seller about its harvest period, batch and storage history.
- Kānuka · New Zealand
- Redgum · E. Australia
- Blue Gum · Tasmania, SE Australia
- Leatherwood · W. Tasmania
- Karri · SW Western Australia
No major variety peaks this month.
- Rosemary · Spain, SE France
- Orange Blossom · Florida, California, Spain
- Tupelo · Florida, Georgia
- Avocado · California, Mexico, Israel
- Sage (black/white) · Southern California
- Acacia · Hungary, Romania, Italy
- Blueberry · Maine, Michigan, BC
- Mesquite · AZ, NM, TX, N. Mexico
- Lavender · Provence, Spain
- Chestnut · Italy, France, Turkey
- Linden / Basswood · Central EU, Upper Midwest
- Cranberry · Massachusetts, Wisconsin
- Clover · US Midwest, Canada Prairies
- Thyme · Greece, Crete
- Wildflower · Everywhere with meadows
- Sourwood · Southern Appalachians
- Anzer · Anzer plateau, NE Turkey
- Fireweed · Alaska, BC, NW Canada
- Buckwheat · NY, PA, Québec
- Heather (ling) · UK moors, Iberian sierras
- Pine honeydew · Turkey, Greece
- Goldenrod · NE US, E. Canada
- Ironbark · E. Australia
- Sidr (Ziziphus) · Yemen, Oman
- Mallee eucalypt · Inland SE Australia
- Rewarewa · North Island, NZ
- Argentinian eucalypt · Buenos Aires, Entre Ríos
- Yellow Box · SE Australia
- Jarrah · SW Western Australia
- Mānuka · North/South Island, NZ
How to read a honey label once you know the calendar
A harvest-year label does not establish exact production dates.
Seasons can cross calendar years, and labeling practices vary. Ask the producer which harvest period and batch the label refers to, and distinguish harvest dates from packing dates.
A seasonal window is not a shelf-life guarantee.
For plain honey, use a tightly closed container in a cool, dry place away from sunlight. Missouri and Purdue Extension recommend 50–70°F for everyday storage. Crystallization is natural; it does not establish when the honey was harvested. Follow product-specific storage directions for honey with added ingredients.
Year-round availability alone does not establish authenticity.
Stored stock and different harvest batches can support year-round sales. Ask for the floral source, producing region, harvest date and batch details when those matter to your purchase. See our Yemeni Sidr authentication guide.
Use the regional window to start a conversation with the seller.
The listed regional flows can help you plan when to ask about a new batch. Extraction and packing dates depend on local conditions and producer practice. Ask what is available now and when it was harvested.
Storage sources: University of Missouri Extension: Using and Storing Honey · Purdue Extension: Honey. Storage guidance checked September 13, 2026.
Processing words do not tell you the age, storage conditions or authenticity of the contents. Ask the producer what its date label means and whether batch records support it.
Keep going
Two more data stories built from the same catalogue.
Methodology & caveats
- Bloom windows shown are typical onset-to-end ranges at the region specified. Individual years and locations can differ with temperature, rainfall, frost, elevation and local forage. The calendar does not establish a universal timing error bound.
- “Peak” is the single month when the greatest share of that variety's honey is typically extracted, not the first flower open. For short-flow varieties (acacia, tupelo, mānuka) peak and bloom are effectively the same.
- Southern hemisphere varieties whose windows cross Dec 31 are shown as two segments in the chart, which is visually accurate but slightly misleading — the actual flow is continuous across year-end.
- We excluded varieties with highly regionally variable windows (e.g. generic “eucalyptus” in the northern hemisphere, which ranges from Spanish winter to Portuguese summer depending on species). Specific eucalypts appear under their own rows.
- Primary sources: FAO Agribusiness Handbooks (2019), Crane (1999) The World History of Beekeeping and Honey Hunting, Somerville (2010) Honey and Pollen Flora of South-Eastern Australia, NZ Ministry for Primary Industries (2022), University of Florida IFAS Extension, Oregon State University Extension, Persano Oddo & Piro (2004), ASEMIEL (Spain), Al-Ghamdi (2013). Raw catalog data at /open-data.
Edited by Sam French · Raw Honey Guide Editorial Team
Source reviewed against primary literature and official guidance where available. Health content is educational, not medical advice, and does not replace a licensed clinician.
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