The Wonders of Beekeeping

The finished product! This beekeeper chooses to sell his honey to a local bakery in Madisonville as well as a local farmers market!

Honey Harvesting Advice & Information from a rural beekeeper: When the combs are ready to be harvested the beekeeper should check for the moisture level and make sure it is at about 19 percent. The bees create a wax coating seal around the edges of the comb. This wax seal needs to be broken in order to get the honey out. Beekeepers normally do this with a hot knife that punctures the comb cells. The beekeeper I talked with uses an extractor to spin the frames of the comb and then releases the honey into the filtration system. After the honey is filtered it can be bottled and used! The frames are then put back and the bees are left to clean them out and start producing again. (personal interview)

Beekeepers are very interested in their bees. They know so many facts about them including knowing when their peak production time is,the insects/parasites that are harmful to them and their production, and even how to clean the frames and combs without endangering the bees!

This is what an untouched hive looks like in comparison to one that has been filled with bees for about 2 years! (personal interview)

Isn’t it crazy what honey filters can do? (personal interview) The jar furthest to the right is the most pure version of raw honey! 

A healthy & active hive will have around 60,000 bees! (personal interview)

Urban beekeepers are known for wearing casual attire with no protective gear while rural beekeepers take precautions to wear a protective suit. The urban beekeepers are known for using a smoker to spray the bees so they become more calm to handle while most rural beeyards use more natural methods. Check out this link all about urban beekeeping!  http://www.nola.com/homegarden/index.ssf/2011/10/urban_beekeeping_is_all_the_bu.html

A wise beekeeper once told me that bees only live for 30 -35 days and basically work themselves to death! While the Queen bee lives up to 3 years and when she dies or even stops laying eggs the bees select a new Queen Bee. (personal interview)

The process of making “liquid gold” from a rural beeyard. This honey is going through a filtration system that is monitored and bottled by a beekeeper from Madisonville! 

This is a setup from a rural beekeeper. One of my goals is to see how a rural beekeeper and an urban beekeeper are different. This beekeeper has a pretty incredible setup in his own backyard! All of these structures include combs and hives!