Reflection: A Summer of Bees and Honey

July 19th, 2024 - Wildflower Honey
I vividly remember holding a funeral for a bee when I was a child. I was never afraid of these small but mighty creatures. My eyes would always follow them as they danced from flower to flower - they still do. It was only recently that my fascination with bees began to manifest itself through intentional learning. The first opportunity I had to dive into beekeeping was during a Hands-On Honey Harvest at the ​​Queens County Farm Museum. 

The farm has an apiary, which is a place where honey bees and their hives are tended to and kept. The apiary at Queens County Farm has been producing honey for over 40 years, producing almost 1000 pounds of honey each year. Beekeeping truly is an art form, and it was through this introductory class that I got a taste (pun intended) of what its like to not only collect honey, but to also honor them as micro emperors of the Earth and all that inhabit it. 

In order to understand the larger issues surrounding our climate and environment, you need to start small and look in between the petals first. This course was the catalyst for a journey that I planned to be on for the next month. 

It was in this moment that our instructor placed freshly cut honeycomb in a container, telling us that honey had anti-bacterial properties.

These frames were filled with honey and were actually very heavy.

You would place the uncapped honey frames in this spinner to collect the honey.

An example of how honey is uncapped using an uncapping tool.

No two hives create honey that tastes exactly the same; each and every hive has their own unique recipe. The bees on the farm got their nectar from wildflowers, which gave the honey a more fragrant and floral flavor. 

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Farm School NYC - Beekeeping Course

July 23rd, 2024 - Honey Bees vs. Native Bees

The commercialized and coveted honey bee is not native to North America - they were actually brought from Europe! This was surprising to me, especially since I assumed that honey bees were the most coveted of pollinators. The term "pollinator" applies to more than just bees, including insects such as wasps, flies, moths, and butterflies. Even a deer that brushes against pollen can be considered a pollinator. Pollinators come in many different shapes and sizes, and it's important that we protect them all.

​Want To Save The Bees? Focus On Habitat, Not Honey Bees. (Article) ​

Sweat Bees: attracted to the salt in our sweat.

Bumble Bees: large and fuzzy.

Bee Flies: do not sting

The distinction between honey bees versus native bees was truly eye-opening. Native bees are native to the region that they are from. There are around 4000 native bees to North America that have evolved alongside plants. Many of these native bees are "specialists" who pollinate specific plants, even sometimes just one kind of plant. Native bees are not commercialized the same way as the honey bee, which has led to some neglect in researching and recording information about native bee species. Native bees support our larger ecosystem as a whole, so it is important that when we think about sustainability and the environment, we're also thinking about how to support our native bees (and pollinator) populations. Bees do more than just make honey. 

​This website includes a guide to wild bees, native to New York: https://www.sharpeatmanguides.com/picture-index​.

The prized honey bee.

Native to New York, the green metallic sweat bee.

There is a huge variety of bees, ranging in temperaments, colors, and even characteristics. Solitary bees live and work individually close to neighboring bees. Social bees form small colonies, living alongside other bees to support it. These colonies are marked by a well defined hierarchy, and even make decision together. It's fascinating to see the variations in bee behavior. 

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July 30th, 2024 - Bee Hives and Health

Bees are such powerful creatures who create more than just honey. They make substances that help them sustain themselves and ensure the hive's overall health and wellbeing. These substances include propolis, wax, and royal jelly. It's important that, as we extract these natural resources, we are considerate of the bees, ensuring that they are treated well in the process. For instance, royal jelly is a dense, high protein food source created to to feed larvae. We shouldn't, at the expense of the health and happiness of a hive, take away these important resources from the bees. 

Royal jelly inside of a cell used to feed larvae.

Propolis acts as an immune system for the hive.

Wax for the integrity and structure of a hive.

There are many methods for caring for a hive. The structure of a hive can vary depending on what a beekeeper's goals are. Many commercial beekeepers use the Langstroth Hive which was invented in 1851. It was built to maximize honey, making it perfect for the industrial farming of bees. However, if honey isn't the only goal then you could also explore different kinds of hives such as Warre Hives, Top Bar Hives, Skep Hives, and Sun Hives. There are also indigenous and culturally diverse methods for beekeeping that span beyond the confines of boxes and angles. 

The Many Styles of Beekeeping

Another important indicator of bee and hive health is through the act of swarming. This video does a great job explaining what swarming is:

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Bee University

October 6th, 2024 

Through my coursework at Farm School NYC, I was introduced toBee University, a non-profit in Staten Island that offers urban communities the opportunity to learn about beekeeping. Their Hive Experience Workshop was what interested me the most. It was a chance to get super close and personal with an actual honeybee hive and to gain hands-on experience in beekeeping. 

A row of honeybee hives at Maker Park where Bee University operates.

Before entering a hive, it is advised to use a bee hive smoker. The smoker helps us in two ways: 1. it lets the bees know that we are here and 2. it suppresses any pheromones that might cause us trouble, specifically the attack pheromone. Below is a video of the bee smoker that we used during our demonstration. Inside, there is burlap being burned. Any natural, organic material is recommended. The tool next to it a J Hook which is used to wedge between the bee hive boxes. 

Having an opportunity to gets hands on with a bee hive was something  totally new to me. I'd only ever seen hives from a distance; this was the closest I had ever gotten. I used the J Hook to pry open one of the bee frames, and pulled it out. It was also really fun to wear the official beekeeper gear, face net and all. 

​This was what the inside of a honey frame looks like. I was informed that these were mostly female worker bees preparing for the upcoming cold, winter months. Unfortunately, this means that the male drone bees would soon be kicked out of the hive since they would no longer be useful to the hive and only deplete it of its resources.

The workshop at Bee University further solidified my understanding of the complex society that is honey bees (and insects in general). Honey bees abide by their own rules and are very disciplined creatures. Seeing them in action, and how they interact with one another was deeply inspiring and grounding. They are interested in sustaining themselves and doing what is best for their collective hive. 

Holding a frame filled with capped honey.

"The hum of bees is the voice of the garden."
-Elizabeth Lawrence