Partly cloudy skies. Low 62F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Partly cloudy skies. Low 62F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.

Beekeeper Doug Jones tends to is hives at Moonlit Farm.

Wildflowers are a popular source of pollen for honeybees.

Beekeeper Doug Jones tends to is hives at Moonlit Farm.

Wildflowers are a popular source of pollen for honeybees.

Humans originally obtained their honey through wild harvest. A cave painting located in Valencia, Spain, depicts honey harvesting dates back 7,000 years. But it is thought that honey and wax collection dates back about 10,000 years.

Modern day beekeeping is a long-held tradition dating back to the 18th century when European changed beekeeping by using movable comb hives. Before that, the colony of bees would be destroyed to collect the honey.

Beekeeping today contributes around $20 billion in value to the U.S. crop production, according to the American Beekeeping Federation. Some crops, like blueberries and cherries, are 90% depend on honeybees. Honeybees are so important that one out of every three bites of food are linked to honeybee pollination.

The Langstroth hives are the most commonly used hive in the United States and Europe. There are two types of Langstroth hives, a 10 frame and an 8 frame. The hive itself is made of boxes stacked on top of each other and can be broken down into seven basic parts (starting from bottom to top):

Bottom Board — is the floor of the hive and provides a landing area.

Brood Chamber/Deep Supers — is where the queen lays here eggs. Most hives will have 1 or 2 brood chambers. Some honey and pollen will also be stored here. These boxes are the largest at 9 5/8 inches high.

Queen Excluder — is placed between the brood chamber and honey supers to keep the queen from laying eggs in the honey supers. The worker bees are small enough to fit through, but it can slow honey production down. So, most beekeepers will avoid using unless necessary.

Honey Supers — is where the honey is made and stored. At any given time, there will be 1 or more honey super on the hive. Honey supers come in 4 different height sizes comb super (4 3/4 inches), shallow super (5 3/4 inches), medium super (6 5/8 inches) and large super (7 5/8 inches).

Frames — are used for structural support to help the bees maintain a well-structured honeycomb. They are put into both the brood chamber and honey supers. Frames come in wood and plastic, but bees always seem to prefer the wood. Foundation can be used inside of the frames to help the bees start their honeycomb but is not necessary. Although, it does help with increased honey production and keeping the hive more organized. Foundation also comes in a variety of way including plastic, pure wax, pure wax wired and synthetic foundation.

Inner Cover — creates a dead air space to insulate the hive against heat and cold. Some covers will also have a vent for ventilation and honey production.

Outer/Telescoping Cover — is usually a wood top covered with heavy-duty aluminum to protect the hive from the elements.

Many beekeepers will put the hive in its entire on some sort of stand/base to give support and to keep it off the damp ground. These bases are commonly made from wood or concrete.

The European Honeybee (Apis mellifera) are amazing creators, traveling up to three miles in any direction to forage and use a wiggle dance to communicate. There are three members of a hive: the queen, worker and drone.

There is only one queen per hive. She is the biggest bee in the hive and the hive is a reflection of her. But she will be replaced if the workers find her incompetent. She will live 2-7 years and can lay 1,500-3,000 eggs per day.

The worker bee is the smallest member and on average there are about 50,000 per hive during the summer. They do everything from hive care, hive defender, foraging and activities related to the queen. In their lifetime, which can last 22-42 days, they will make about 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey.

The drones’ one mission is to mate with a queen.

Honey, also known as liquid gold, has great value as a food. It can be used in cooking, baking or added to tea; in addition to that, it can also be eaten raw. Honey comes in many forms and flavors. The flavor can be affected by time of harvest and the floral source/sources. For example, honey made primarily from blueberry can sometimes have a blueberry aftertaste and basswood/linden tree honey can have a hint of mint.

Honey also comes in many forms, here are just a few:

Crystallized or Granulated Honey — is just honey that has spontaneously crystallized. It has not gone bad; it just needs to be heated to return to liquid state. The best way to do this is with a warm water bath (do not boil). Also, do not put it into the microwave, this will destroy the beneficial enzymes and properties of the honey. Granulated honey can also be eaten, it just has a different texture.

Raw Honey — has minimally to no processing done to it. If heat is used, it will not be above 105-115 degrees Fahrenheit. Sometimes it will be run through a minimal strainer during bottling. But this honey will still have pollen, wax, enzymes and the occasional bee part. Most small scale/local beekeepers will sell their honey this way in liquid or crystallized form.

Creamed or Whipped Honey — is crystallized honey where a starter seed is used. This seed comes from a previously crystallized batch of honey and is much smaller than most naturally crystallized honey. This makes it a smoother-spreadable cream. It is lighter in colored than liquid honey.

Comb Honey — is honey left in the wax comb. It is harvested by cutting the comb out of the frames or by using special frames.

Infused Honey — is made with herbs and spices, such as mint, rose petal and lavender. The herbs are placed in warm honey and left in the jar for a few weeks. The herbs are strained or can be left in.

Becoming a beekeeper may not be a path you wish to travel down, but you still have a love for bees and pollinators. There are a few conservation and habitat development alternatives.

First, plant flowing plants that are beneficial to pollinators. Native wildflowers are a great option.

Second, create a diverse landscape with as much diversity in flowing plants as possible. Diversity is very important to honeybees and will help create varied in habitat for all pollinators. It provides early, mid and late season blooms, which give pollinators a nectar source all summer.

Third, is no-mow in the spring and especially in May. In the spring pollinators have a shortage of nectar sources. By not mowing lawns, flowers like clover and dandelions are able to bloom. This can help provide that first source of nectar.

Lastly, create a water source for pollinators. A bird bath with some rocks or twigs in it will work. The rocks and twigs give the pollinators a place to land so they do not drown.

Tiffany Jones is the District Manager for the Wexford Conservation District. For more information on beekeeping and for assistance in local conservation matters, contact Tiffany by phone at (231) 775-7681, ext. 3, by email at wexford@macd.org.

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