Issue link: https://www.cominghomemag.com/i/1499105
7 uestions with Q A BEEKEEPER Rex Smith gives us all the buzz about beekeeping. Bees might be the hardest-working insects in the world. Honeybees, in particular, are born with a job to do, and their whole purpose in life is to complete their mission. Their goals are to pollinate—move pollen from one plant to another, helping the new plant grow—and produce honey. No small task, a colony of bees stays busy fulfilling their unique roles while working together to keep their hive in top shape. The queen bee is the boss, as she serves as the reproductive center of the hive. The objective of the male drone is to mate with the queen, and worker bees do everything else, from attending to the queen and cleaning the hive to building honeycomb and collecting nectar and pollen. A bee is seemingly a self-sufficient insect, so you might be asking: what's left for a beekeeper to do? We wondered the same thing! We sat down with Rex Smith, beekeeper and founder of Harmony Hollow Apiary, to share some insight about his job and why it's so important. 1. Why did you become a beekeeper, and how did you get started? About 13 years ago, I challenged myself to grow more vegetables and fruits in my backyard without using chemicals (fertilizers). I wanted my garden to be as organic as possible, so I researched and learned that bees are some of the best pollinators. They transfer pollen from flower to flower, fertilizing the plant and allowing it to develop seeds and produce fruit. I studied honeybees extensively and quickly fell in love with them and their work to increase our food production. I found a local club, attended a few meetings, and met a man who taught beekeeping classes and sold bees and equipment. I made arrangements that December to get my first two hives and bought a specialized box to house them in. Lucky for me, my first beehives were ready in April, when the weather was optimal. 2. What exactly does a beekeeper do? Bees used for producing honey, pollinating, or breeding honeybees are classified as livestock, or food-producing animals, by the federal government. Therefore, commercial beekeepers are the livestock managers that keep honeybees alive and able to produce honey. In my work, I maintain approximately 300 hives on 30 different properties—and my main job is to use the existing hives to create more livestock. So, when a hive becomes overpopulated, it's my responsibility to rehome those bees before they become a swarm and invade an area where they're not welcome. I give them a space to live, monitor and maintain their food and nutrition stores, and oversee the hive's health, making adjustments for their survival. Like others who keep bees as a hobby, I also produce honey and wax for things like lip balm and candles. 3. What are the pros and cons of beekeeping? On a personal level, observing bees calms my mind; they're very meditative for me. I consider it an advantage to watch these bees work tirelessly to provide nourishment for their colony. Each bee does its part to support the whole entity of the hive, foraging the nutrients they need, pollen for protein and nectar for carbohydrates, from flowering and nectar-producing plants. The cons? There's a stinger on the back side of them.