LOCALadk Magazine
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LOCALadk 39 Stung w it h W onder For many of us, that first encounter with a bee was probably not ver y pleasant. It's amazing how such a tiny creature can instill so much fear in people. That sting was a reminder to stay away from the bee's home, a colony of brothers and sisters. Bees ― especially worker bees ― have four essential tasks: building combs of wax, foraging for nectar and pol- len, making honey, and defending their turf. Ironically, most bees are far too busy to focus on stinging you ― be- sides, once they plant a stinger in something, their life is over, so you really need to provoke them to warrant that pinch to the skin. I have been stung several times over the years, usual- ly because I unintentionally stepped on a ground hive or other wise infringed on bees' activities. Despite that pain, I love honey. It is one of my most-treasured ingredients, and I relish using it whenever possible. I recently paused to wonder about beekeepers, their de- cision to throw caution to the wind and dive into caring for bees and processing the fruit of their labor. As I learned more about bees, I mar veled at their intelligence, work ethic, communication skills, organization, and teamwork. These are some incredible creatures. Throughout the Adirondacks, from Malone to Lake George and Peru to the outer edges of Utica, there are nu- merous private beekeepers who are fascinated by the lives of bees and who invest time caring for their hives in order to enjoy the golden syrup that the bees give in return. The magic really begins when the decision is made to build a business around beekeeping. Provided the weather cooperates, a commercial bee- keeper can see yields of more than 125 pounds of honey per hive. Since most commercial operations play host to 300 or more of them, the volume is quite impressive. These professionals provide shelter, monitor the hive's health (particularly the queen's), har vest the results (honey, hon- eycomb, and beeswax), and manage the colony's growth. But the bees do the real work, and the beekeeper is just an apprentice under the tutelage of the hive. There are three types of honey bees: drones, male bees By Paul Sorgule Photos provided