It is very difficult to make surplus honey on Salt Spring Island.  This is due to not having large fields of flowering monoculture like clover, canola, or alfalfa.  Salt Spring bees collect honey from wildflowers and blooming trees instead.  Salt Spring also often experiences very dry summers which result in the flowers not being able to make much nectar.  Lastly, most of Salt Spring Island is forested which mean the number of flowers available to bees is much less.