Since last year had the greatest amount of bee loss ever, it is about time people start paying more attention to our pollinators. Honeybees do about 80% of all crop pollination--a HUGE number. Because bee loss has increased over the past few years and also because honey is a popular sweetener on the market these days, the price of honey has been increasing as well. The demand is only going to keep rising and if you have problems getting honey, please consider calling your local congressman, senator and the EPA to encourage them to enforce laws concerning pesticide/insecticide application and to go after the cause of bee loss.
The last time I spoke with Davey he was repairing his trucks to yet again move bees across the country for pollination. Since beekeepers transport their hives with all their bees, I was wondering if the same amount of bees come back when it's time to pack up and leave. If the hive is healthy, the same amount of bees will return home with him as he brought to pollinate. The best time to move bees is around 6:30 PM when it starts to cool down or in the morning before the bees leave the hive to pollinate. At any other time, a greater number of bees will be away from the hive. Also, bees are temperamental when it comes to weather so hopefully it is not too hot!
Not only do bees cost money, it's an uphill battle when trying to maintain the bees you do have. As mites are always a concern, treatments to control them are constantly evolving. Some products that are available to beekeepers were useful for a time, but mites become resistant to them. I spoke to Davey who is currently buying strips that the government has allowed beekeepers some sort of temporary registration to use. They are currently that only thing that really work to treat the bees, but at a cost of $2.50 per strip and thousands of hives to place these on, that number rises very quickly. To keep his bees in the best health possible, Davey has been purchasing 92,500 pounds of protein a year! And then sugar syrup on top of that! Beekeeping these days is not a get-rich-quick operation by any means.
Beeswax has been used by humans for thousands of years. Many old churches in Europe have great artwork created with encaustic. This type of painting is where an artist mixes hot wax with pigment to create a "paint." Since wax will dry and harden quickly, an artist must be very skilled to complete the work of art in only a short time. Candles made of beeswax are said to burn brighter and not leave black residue on ceilings. This is the reason that beeswax was so valuable to churches in the middle ages-- it didn't harm illustrious paintings that were housed there. Beeswax candles are still popular today, but handmade ones can be quite pricey. Thats because it takes 6-7 pounds of honey to get one pound of wax. Recent bee die-offs mean not only less honey, but less wax available as well. Next time you go shopping for chap stick or candles, look on the ingredients for beeswax. It is in more items than you think.
