The work of harvesting honey is a meditation. Every season we look forward to the physical stresses of gathering honey day after day, and the pushing of physical limits allows the mind to open up. Today I am thinking again about my connection with the beekeepers of over 600 years ago as they celebrated the benevolence of our insect friends and the health of the soil we work with.

The rich, diverse history of beekeeping inspires our goals for the return of health to honey bees and people. Nothing is more healing than working with the natural progressions of the season. From watching the new hives grow in the spring to the harvest of a bountiful honey crop now, all the work of the year culminates in one vision we are assured of our focus on the natural path of the bees- securing their future and thus our own.

These days the bees are always working before I wake up, and the long days of summer witness foraging on a massive scale. The goldenrod plant, an important late season nectar producer, is ubiquitous in our part of Vermont.

Rounding the corner to a field of the yellow flowers makes my blood quicken in my veins. I never knew I would be so uplifted by looking at a field of flowers, and there you go, I must thank the bees again for augmenting my connection with this bit of sunshine on earth.

The American Apitherapy Society is devoted to research and the use of honey bee products to further good health and to contribute to the improvement of a variety of conditions and diseases. Bee venom therapy has been used successfully in many cases of multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Lyme’s Disease, Epstein-Barr virus, and back pain. The American Apitherapy Society supports the research and use of honey, pollen, propolis, royal jelly and beeswax. Some of our crew from the honey house attended classes at the national conference in Burlington last month, and it has been exciting to be more involved with sharing bee venom therapy with others. For more information on the American Apitherapy Society, see www.apitherapy.org

Over the years, we have enjoyed a long relationship with the Titus family in Charlotte. On the eastern side of Mt. Philo in the Champlain Valley of Vermont, the Titus farm has 54 acres of prime agricultural soil. Almost all of it is in hay crops, and rotational grazing is used for the herd of 100 dairy cows. We are grateful to several generations of this family for their commitment to farming and their willingness to preserve this farmland. The effort to protect this agricultural land forever has been community based with support from the Vermont Land Trust. Our bees have been productive here, and it is reassuring to know that this land will never be developed. Agriculture in this valley is under tremendous pressure with all of the construction of buildings and roads. This is our second bee yard to become part of the Vermont Land Trust, and we encourage you to support the preservation of agricultural land across the country.

We received this propolis spray testimonial from Susan, “Just wanted to share how I’ve used your wound wash/throat spray. After realizing that the cold sore on my lip was healing after a mere two sprays, I treated an open sore on Lambchop’s back, she’s my friend’s mini-poodle. The rawness is gone and the dog is less jittery when we touch her in that area after one treatment. I’ll hit the spot again today before I leave.”

Thank you for your interest in and support of the work of our bees and plant medicine.

Lake Champlain Valley, Vermont
June 21, 2005

Today we celebrate the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. At this time, the queen bee will lay the most eggs of the season, this being determined by the number of sunny minutes of the day. Her cycle is in tune with nature and the coming honey flow, as these offspring will become the workers in the season ahead.

After a week of gentle and sometimes heavy rains, the edge has been taken off of the drought, and the sun has returned to our bee yards and the honey house. The flowering nectar plants are abundant now, and their colors are everywhere – the legumes are in bloom, black locust trees dripping with white flowers, purple and hairy vetch, yellow birdsfoot trefoil, pink and white alsike clover, and red clover. This is the earliest crop that we have seen in years.

We have been visiting each bee hive to build bear fences, checking for queens and “balancing and equalizing”, which involves taking frames of brood (young bees before they are adults) from hives that are so strong that they would swarm if they did not have their population cut back (and then not make honey). These frames are given to nucs- new, young colonies that have such a small population (that in their bolstered family strength do make honey this season.) This is the synergy of our work with bees and people, who all contribute different gifts to many common goals.

Because of the time that Sam and Tim have spent with the bees, building them back up in South Carolina and now working with them in the North, they are healthy and strong. The primary support of organic beekeeping are mite resistant bees from Russia and these are being introduced into our colonies as readily as possible.

Sam noted this morning at the honey house:
It’s no secret that at Honey Gardens we love bees and want to see them thrive in the North Country like they did before mites and diseases became tremendous stresses. Russian bees love the short intense season that Vermont offers we applaud their winter hardiness, fast buildup, hygienic behavior, and gentleness. They fly at lower temperatures, and above all, they love to make honey. These combined strengths allow us to continue keeping bees without chemical treatments. With each select generation, the bees’ natural defenses are strengthening.

The past week’s rain has put energy into the soil to make the honey flow possible. We have been suspiciously eyeing the basswood trees and wondering if this year the fragile, nectar-rich flowers will not be damaged by thunderstorms. They have not bloomed yet, and as the June weather bounds into hot days, the bees and beekeepers are ready.

We are now shipping the first of the new crop of 2005 honey, raw orange blossom honey from our friends’ bees, made two months ago in Florida, and extracted and bottled in honey house in Vermont. This is a light, delightful raw honey that is very special and is the only raw orange blossom honey that we have ever seen.

Vermont elderberry project

Lewis Hill talks about elderberry @ the Ferrisburgh honey house 10 AM Saturday July 16 & releases two cultivars from his stock. With elderberry, you may grow plant medicine for your family & friends, feed wildlife, and stabilize the banks of streams from erosion. for info click here
We continue to see how the sum is greater than all of the parts in so much of what we do. Thank you all for your interest in and support of our bees, their work, and plant medicine.

Spring 2005, Marion County, South Carolina

In the late 1700’s Francis Marion, known as the legendary “Swamp Fox” of the Revolutionary War, came to this field high above the Blue Savannah Swamp. He and his troops surprised a much larger contingent of British solders, fired on them with their limited rounds, and then slipped back into the protection of the swamps along the Pee Dee River.

In December 2004, with our own idealistic mission to save the bees, against a formidable force, we spent weeks gathering the bees from the snowy lands of the North and brought truckloads 950 miles South to this same field and others along the Pee Dee River. Their future through the winter in the North was in question, weak from environmental stresses that has allowed mites and viruses to become more expressive. With smaller family populations, more colonies survive in the warmer days and nights of South Carolina, and with 60 days of additional Spring here, their families could then rebuild.

A miracle is now underway in these fields. As a phoenix in the glorious Spring days along the swamps of flowering tupelo trees and honeysuckle, Sam Comfort, with the help of Tim McFarline, are now orchestrating the revival of about 350 colonies of bees toward 1,000. Last week Sam wrote:

The mist is rising at our Blue Savannah beeyard, where I found myself early this morning moving in yesterday’s splits that will receive a queen cell today. With the approaching dawn I can begin to make out the slender oldfield toadflax flowers and the many variations of cress in this secluded, historic field. I know the bees have been drawing a lot of nectar from these fields lately, as well as the galberry and huckleberry lining this field. The swamp to the east is home to the tupelo trees, and when they bloom, the nectar will intensify even more.

The Honey Gardens’ bees are rebounding from coping with the varroa mite, and we are strictly following an organic treatment plan. We moved the hives south for a milder winter and an early escapade on this fabulous flower world. By raising our own queens and promoting mite resistant behavior, we can continue to avoid the chemical treatments that many beekeepers have caused bees to become dependent on. The mites have quickly grown resistant to chemical medicines. None of that is conducive to the Honey Gardens vision. A queen-rearing program supports our sustainability and the future of bees in Vermont. Reflecting on our important work and thinking of the good times to come this season, I pause and listen to the hum of the hives busily evaporating nectar into honey. I am so excited to once again be with the Honey Gardens team and take part in promoting the healthy future of our bees. Can’t wait to see those barn swallows out back in Vermont do their thing again!

This work is supported by an international effort to save our bees. Many of our survivors have come from the bees raised by Anicet Desrocher’s organic bee farm in the High Laurentian Mountains of Northern Quebec. He has been raising queen bees that originally came from Russia, where bees have been found to be hygienic they clean the mites off of each other and kick them out of the hive. These beekeepers do not use chemicals. Mite-resistant queens have also come from Rick Shubert in California and other northern beekeepers. In his Amish carpentry shop, Dan Miller makes bee equipment without the aid of electricity. At the honeyhouse in Vermont, there is a dedicated crew putting equipment together for the bees in South Carolina. Our bees will return North in May, in time to visit the dandelion and apple flowers, and we look forward to their coming home, with Sam.

When you are in the Champlain Valley of Northern Vermont, it would be good to see you at our new honeyhouse. At 5335 Vermont Route 7, we are a few miles north of Vergennes and ½ hour south Burlington, close to and on the West/Lake Champlain side of Route 7. There is a retail shop here. After school our most honorable crew builds bee equipment, lemon yellow beeswax candles are made, and we are having some classes. Please call ahead to be sure we are here, tel. 802.877.6766, or if you are coming to Vermont contact us by e-mail or call the honeyhouse near Hinesburg (802.877.6766).

classes at the honey house

all on Saturdays starting at 10 AM:

beginning beekeeping with Sam Comfort and sale of nuc bee hives ~ May 14

Vermont elderberry project, release of two cultivars from the stock of Lewis Hill ~ July 23

The May issue of Organic Style magazine has great color pictures of our crew, bee yards and scenes around the honey house. It will be out within a few weeks.

Thank you all for your interest in and support of our bees and their work you give us courage.