Danja Erber Honey

Danja Erber - your beekeeper from western Styria

My name is Danja Erber, I am 39 years old and live with my daughter and my partner in beautiful western Styria. As a passionate beekeeper and herbalist, I have been dedicated to the fascinating world of bees and nature for over 11 years.

My journey began 12 years ago when I completed training as a herbalist. At the time, I wanted to make my own cosmetic products and ointments, with beeswax being an essential ingredient. The challenge of finding high-quality and safe beeswax led to the decision to start beekeeping myself. Shortly after this decision, I started my beekeeping training in the autumn and the following spring the first three colonies moved into my garden.

Today, with my little daughter, I look after between 18 and 22 colonies, which are set up in a spacious herb and flower garden at our home and in an idyllic forest area. Depending on the season, we harvest blossom honey, forest honey and a regional speciality, chestnut honey, which is obtained from the flowers of the sweet chestnut tree.

Our bees live in Dadant Blatt hives, which are large-capacity hives that are rarely used. Since they offer many advantages for the bees and the quality of the honey and their somewhat "different operating method" makes work easier for me, I have chosen this "home" for our many hard-working bees. The larger honeycomb area ensures better use of space, promotes the health of the bees, a bee-friendly attitude and enables a more efficient honey harvest.

Treating my bees respectfully and in a species-appropriate manner is very important to me. I look after every step of the year myself - from maintaining the beehives to harvesting the honey.

My bees not only stand for high-quality honey, but are also part of a larger ecological cycle.

  • To collect enough nectar for 1 kilogram of honey, bees fly a total of about 100,000 kilometers, which is roughly equivalent to circling the Earth.
  • To produce 1 kilogram of honey, bees are estimated to visit between 2 and 4 million flowers.
  • To produce a teaspoon of honey (about 7 grams), about 12 to 15 bees must work throughout their lives. It is estimated that a bee visits about 800 to 1,000 flowers in its lifetime.
  • Over the course of its life, a worker bee produces about 1/12 teaspoon of honey.

These facts not only illustrate the impressive work performance of bees, but also the importance of these small insects for our environment and food production. Bees are crucial for the pollination of many plants and thus contribute to biodiversity and food supply.

I invite you to discover the natural sweetness of my honey, which is the result of many bee hours, dedication and a deep connection to nature. Let yourself be convinced by the quality and taste of our honey – a piece of West Styria in every jar.