Subscription Box Review: The Hive Box

Bee Local Oregon High Desert Raw Honey - 4 oz: This honey isn't cooked to preserve flavor and health benefits.  It isn't blended with honeys from different locations, and it retains pollen.  Let me just tell you, it is delicious!  I usually only enjoy honeys mixed in teas or with other things, but I ate some of this straight out of the jar like Winnie The Poo himself.  This variety is gathered from Eastern Oregon.  They recently won the Good Food Awards under the honey category.  The bees in this area forage on sage, rabbit bush, larkspur, buckwheat, phlox and other wildflowers.  I'm definitely going to be ordering more of this!

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Square One Soapworks Oatmeal, Milk & Honey Soap - 2.25 oz: This mother-daughter duo is based in Newton, Wisconsin.  Their products are free of synthetic fragrances, harsh dyes and harmful chemicals.  This is perfect for someone like me with skin sensitivities!  All of the products they make are hand-crafted in small batches.  A few of the natural ingredients in this soap are honey, sweet almond oil and coconut oil.  It made my hands really soft after using it and didn't have a heavy smell which I enjoyed.  Now that I've given this soap a try, I really want to give their lavender patch a go!  I love their back-to-basics approach and can't wait to buy more for the upcoming holidays.

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Bees and Beans Reserve Honey Bar 1.8 oz: This delicious treat contains honey caramel and hazelnut nougat dipped in dark chocolate.  They are hand crafted with only the finest ingredients and topped with a hint of Jacobsen sea salt.  They are based in Portland, Oregon and recently won the Good Food Awards for confections.  I first discovered the brilliance of mixing honey, chocolate and caramel by biting into a John and Kira's chocolate bee.  If you haven't tried this flavor profile yet, you should give it a taste.  It is delightful! 

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VisuaLingual Bee Seed Bombs - 2 oz: If you feel like you don't have a green thumb, these are for you!  They are truly the throw and go, easy-to-grow way to garden.  These bombs are handmade in Indianapolis, Indiana and contain toadflax, echinacea and black-eyed susan seeds.  VisuaLingual is also a design and print studio mixing creativity with saving the bees!  They also sell personalized seed bomb favors perfect for parties, events and weddings.  I can't wait to give the butterfly and ladybug friendly seed bombs a try.  They sell a slinger, which in my personal opinion makes planting these just that much more fun! 

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Big Dipper Wax Works Beeswax Candle Tin 1.7oz: These candles are made with 100% pure and natural beeswax in recycled tins.  They have a mild, sweet honey scent infused from the hive.  It burns for over 12 hours and can purify the air by emitting negative ions.  Big Dipper Wax Works is based in Seattle, Washington and they strive to use the highest quality ingredients in all of their candles.  They sell all different sizes and shapes, including gift sets and even aromatherapy candles.  I'm interested in giving their apothecary glass collection a try! 

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Hillside Candy Go Organic Honey Drops - 5: This was an added bonus, but I had to mention it because I love honey drops!  They are perfect when your throat is scratchy or you are feeling under the weather.  These candies are just the right amount of sweet and organic, non GMO and gluten free!  I love to toss these in my purse and pull one out whenever I need a quick and healthy treat!  You can purchase them here. 

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The Hive Box makes it easy to support the companies that strive to help save the bees.  It is important to be aware of what is called Colony Collapse Disorder.  Bees are dying at a rapid rate due to pesticides, loss of habitat, climate change and disease.  These pollinators do so much for us on a daily basis, and with them in danger, this puts our food supply in serious risk.  Other ways you can make a difference include planting a pollinator friendly garden.  Honeybees need plant nectar and pollen that you can provide in your very own yard.  There are a variety of flowers, herbs and veggies you can plant!  This includes purple coneflowers, shasta daisies, milkweed and California poppies just to name a few.  Maybe beekeeping is a little out of your realm, but that doesn't mean you can't provide them with shelter.  You can purchase what is called a mason bee house.  Mason bees are a gentle and non aggressive pollinator you want working for you in your yard.  They lay eggs in holes made by woodpeckers and grubs in the bark of trees.  Although they are unable to tunnel holes themselves, you can provide them with some!  Providing a home will encourage them to reproduce and continue pollinating.  Here is an instructional guide on how to build one from the National Wildlife Federation.  Along with providing food and shelter, try limiting pesticide use, garden with native plants and leave some weeds for the bees.  All of these small actions you take can make a big difference!

Disclaimer: The Hive Box was kind enough to provide me with a box to review.  I was not paid or compensated to write this article and all opinions are my own.  I only promote companies I enjoy and love!