Billy the Beekeeper

I was driving home from the International Headquarters of Bear Woods Photography (the shack in the woods) when I spotted a man preparing to tend to some beehives. I pass by these hives, and have on more than one occasion, wanted to stop and buy some of the “honor system” honey offered for sale. Seeing the keeper out with his hives, I decided to stop and photograph him while he tended to the bees. I asked permission and he said it was fine to take pictures. I asked how far away I should stay. He smiled and said a few feet was good. He then told me that honey bees are really not aggressive and they get a bad rap. He told me that if they do get you, it is only once and they leave their stinger with you. Hmmmmm…I decided 10 feet was good. That’s why they make zoom lenses, right? I watched as he applied some smoke at the entrance of the hive. He then lifted the lid and placed another “box” on the top of the stack. He then placed a rock on top of the hive and walked toward me. I decided it was a great time for an education in beekeeping.

I introduced myself, he stated his name was Billy. He told me he keeps bees as a hobby. He retired a couple of years ago. He grew up in a family of beekeepers, so he felt it only natural to do the same. He explained to me that the honey he sold was raw and natural. He told me about the different hives and their designs. He had 5 hives, or swarms, as he called them. Four of the swarms were housed in the “traditional” design of 2 brooding boxes vs. the newer 1 brooding box. He told me the old timers did it this way because it meant more bees. Some of the newer keepers feel it makes the bees more aggressive, but Billy said he didn’t agree with that train of thought. He also told me of the decline of honey bees and all of the theories out there regarding the decline. The most prominent reason appears to be mites. He told me he uses a screen bottom on the boxes so when the bee grooms, the mites fall out of the bottom. Using solid wooden bottoms causes the mites to get back on the bees each time they enter or exit. He told me he doesn’t like to use chemicals on his bees like most newcomers. He said he sprinkles powdered sugar on the bees because it stimulates them to groom, thus knocking off the mites. He told me the bonus was that the bees used the sugar to them make more honey!

All of this talk of honey was making me hungry. I asked if he had any honey to sell yet and he told me it would be another couple of weeks. He said it was mainly because it was such a messy ordeal, he had to make sure he could do a lot at once and make it worth it. I know I will be making the trip back to Billy’s to get some honey in a couple of weeks to taste what natural raw honey taste like. It was so refreshing to spend time talking with Billy and learning about beekeeping. It is great to know also that in the years Billy has offered his honey for sale on the “honor system”, no one has taken any honey without paying for it. Thanks Billy for our conversation and sharing your knowledge with me.

The images were made using the Olympus Pen EPL-2 with the 14-42mm lens. I set the camera to the Art Mode and the Dramatic Tone preset. These images were made hand holding the camera…just in case I needed to exit the area quickly…

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