In 1977, there was a beehive behind my mother-in-law’s garden shed. I had no idea what it was. She introduced me to Myrton Gray who was a lifelong beekeeper with over 100 hives. Myrton was getting older and appreciated having a young man do his lifting for him, so I began helping him in my free time.

Over time, I built up to 25 hives until my eight year old son got was stung by a group of yellow jackets and had an allergic reaction. I quickly decided to quit, which turned out to be the best idea at the time due to coaching and chasing my two sons around until they graduated college. Then, I asked myself one day, “What am I going to do in retirement? I know… beekeeping again!” I have had as many as 37 hives, but mite infestations continued to take be back to square one again. Mites were never an issue in the 70s and most bees would make it through the winter. Now it is a real struggle to keep them alive.

Now I produce honey, beeswax, comb honey and make my own lip balm. The honey flows in this part of the country are during spring and fall. Tulip Poplar, Black Locust, Yellow Sumac, Blackberry and Basswood are the usual sources of spring nectar, which the bees turn into amber colored honey. We can produce some Clover in the summer if there are large acreages of Alsike Clover fields. In the fall, Goldenrod, which is our most dependable crop and produces a light golden honey, which is mild in flavor, but crystalizes easy.

To uncrystalize your honey, place the jars in warm water on the stove. If you are using plastic jars, I recommend using hot tap water. If you have raw honey and want it to remain raw, do not allow the honey to exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit.