Despite the stings, life is sweet for beekeeper

By Staff
Haley Aaron, Hartselle Enquirer
Welcome to Rednectar Honey Farm, AL, population: roughly 2,100,000 during peak season, although an accurate number is virtually impossible to count.
Even though there is no way to determine the number of bees at Wally
Sanders' honey farm, there is no doubt that they are highly productive.
Sanders estimates this year his bees will produce around 60 to 70 gallons of honey, operating at 60 percent honey producing capacity.
Due to swarming, the number of beehives at Sanders' farm has also grown this year, from 21 hives to around 35 hives, each of which are populated with between 50,000 to 70,000 bees.
"Swarming is a natural instinct for bees to perpetuate the bee population to create another hive," Sanders said.
During the process of swarming, bees in an existing hive build "queen cells" and nurture a young queen bee to populate the hive. After the new queen is born and is ready to rule the existing hive, the bees leave the hive in search for a new location. Generally they look for an enclosed space such as a hollow tree or a barrel, but occasionally they swarm around a tree limb or other open area.
"A friend of mine that is a beekeeper had a swarm that landed in a tree and they built combs right there on that limb," Sanders said. While some swarms are robbed by more established hives before they can be productive, many swarms survive and produce additional honey over time.
Sanders and other Alabama beekeepers have had a better year than most U.S. beekeepers, because the state has yet to be widely affected by Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD, a mysterious disease that has ravaged many commercial bee
hives across the nation. According to the Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research
and Extension Consortium, an organization that has conducted research on
CCD, most states have experienced outbreaks of the disease, including the
states surrounding Alabama. Bees simply disappear from hives affected by the
disease, leaving behind few clues about the cause of their disappearance.
The cause of CCD is still unknown.
"No one knows what causes it so there is not a preventative thing to do,"
Sanders said. "You just keep check on [the bees], keep looking after them
and hope that it doesn't happen to you."
While CCD is not yet a problem for most Alabama beekeepers, there are other
factors that can adversely affect honey production.
Production is hard to estimate from year to year, Sanders said.
"It's hard to say and a lot depends on what kind of season you have," he said.
Several factors, including a severe April frost and drought conditions have caused this year's honey production to decrease. "The plants are not able to go through their normal cycle" because of the drought, he said. "They don't bloom and produce nectar and pollen", which is necessary for making honey.
Despite the occasional setbacks, Sanders feels that beekeeping is an
enjoyable and worthwhile hobby.
A retired teacher and basketball coach, he started keeping bees about six
years ago, when a friend suggested that they would help pollinate the fruit trees on Sanders' orchard.
When people first ask about his unique hobby, Sanders says, they usually
have one question in mind: Do you get stung? "Yes, you do get stung," he
answers. Using protective equipment such as gloves and a veiled bonnet is enough to prevent most stings, but occasionally getting stung is
unavoidable.
"It doesn't bother me like it used to," Sanders said.
Spring and summer at Rednectar farm is especially busy as bees gather pollen
from fruit trees, blackberry patches, and local farms. What plants the bees pollinate determine the taste and the color of the honey. Bees that pollinate cotton crops will produce light honey, Sanders said, while bees that pollinate other crops produce honey of varying colors and types. The honey produced by bees at Sanders' orchard is usually light amber, while two hives that Sanders moved to a large blackberry patch have produced honey of a darker amber color. "It's all going to be sweet, but it has varying taste depending on what those bees were able to harvest," he said.
As the bees begin producing honey, Sanders adds extra levels, or "supers" to the hives. All of the honey Sanders extracts from the hive will be taken from the supers and not the larger brood box that makes up the body of the hive, leaving a store of honey undisturbed for the bees. After Sanders removes the super boxes from the hive are carried to the small white building that houses several honey-extracting machines. Frames containing honey are first taken to the uncapping machine, where the wax caps are removed from the cells. Next, several frames are loaded into the extractor, which are whirled around using centrifugal force to remove the honey from the frame. The honey is collected in a vat at the bottom of the machine.
While the honey looks ready to eat, the honey must still be strained through the screener tank to remove the small pieces of wax that remain after uncapping. Layers of fabric and a metal strainer stop the small pieces of wax. Sanders then pours the honey into mason jars to eat, sell and share with friends.
Although all honey is produced and extracted in the spring and summer, bees must be cared for year round. In the late summer, after the honey has been extracted from the hives, the bees must be medicated to prevent diseases, such as mites. In the winter, bees must be feed with a mixture of sugar water or fructose.
Although being a beekeeper involves hard work, some setbacks and the occasional sting, Sanders is convinced that the rewards are truly sweet.
"It's been enjoyable. Bees are fascinating little creatures," he said.