Last week, I was able to stop out at Beeville Honey in Blanchardville, Wisconsin to check out their operation. Owned by the Michael and Stacey McCarthy family, Beeville Honey has expanded from only a couple hives to now about 150 hives in various areas near their home. Michael McCarthy was able to sit down and inform me on all the details of bee-keeping and honey production.
Spring time is a busy time, both for the bees and beekeepers alike. It is a beekeepers job to make sure all hives are healthy and alive after the winter time, and make sure the hives have what they need to survive and efficiently produce honey. At the same time, the queen bee begins to lay eggs and the other bees begin their work collecting pollen and nectar to produce honey throughout the spring, summer and fall.
McCarthy mentioned that this last winter was a bit tough for the bees, and this spring hasn’t been easy either with unexpected late frosts and changes in weather. “A lot of the spring foodstuffs have been frozen off” says McCarthy, but now the bees are very busy pulling in plenty of pollen and things are “looking good.”
According to a fact shared by McCarthy, it takes about 1,200 bees, traveling about 112,000 miles and visiting about 4.5 to 5 million flowers to produce one 16 ounce jar of honey. “So the old saying ‘busy as a bee’ has a totally appropriate monitor, as far as how intense they work to succeed in capturing their nectar and pollen to make honey for us,” McCarthy states. He also recognizes the important role bees play in the environment, to farmers in the area and to the grocery store shelves. Bees make a significant impact on the production of products on the grocery store shelf, and without bees and other pollinators, about 40% of those products would not be available.
The McCarthy family markets their honey and beeswax products year round. In the spring and summer, they focus on attending area farmers markets including Blanchardville, Argyle and New Glarus to make their product available to customers. They enjoy interacting with customers and sharing information about the bees with anyone that is interested.
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