The Buzz about Beekeeping

For the Hing Family of Naples, beekeeping started out with Kylene Hing exploring new ways that are fun and educational experiences for her two homeschooled children, Kiana and Gabriel. Kylene found a 4-H Beekeeping and Gardening Club for the children and after the entire family attended their first beekeeping class at the University of Florida-IFAS extension office, they “caught the buzz!

Starting out as a humble beekeeping hobby, Hing Family Apiary has grown into a family business with over 100 hives spread out in several locations. The Apiary sells honey, provides removal and relocation of hives and offers pollination service to food crops that need honey bees to pollinate.

The biggest challenge for them is working in the heat during the busy season and dealing with honey bee decline. For a hobbyist with fewer hives, they might face less challenges. 

For those interested in backyard beekeeping, Hing suggests doing a lot of research, joining local beekeeping clubs, connecting with seasoned beekeepers and finding a mentor will be helpful.

According to the University of Florida, Florida's honey industry is ranked among the top five in the nation with nearly 5,000 registered beekeepers managing approximately 650,000 colonies producing more than 10 million pounds of honey in 2018 (USDA 2018). Nationwide, honey bees contribute nearly $20 billion to the crop industry by providing pollination services all over the United States.

According to University of Florida researchers pollinators, most often honey bees, are responsible for one in every three bites of food we take but due to a variety of factors, honey bees have been in decline in the U.S. for more than three decades, showing an alarming decline in 2006. Research done at the Auburn University College of Agriculture showed that beekeepers in the U.S. lost around 45% of their colonies and if we continue to lose these critical pollinators, we may lose some of our favorite foods.

How many different kinds of bees are there?  According to the Florida Department of Agriculture there are more than 4,000 species of bees that live in the United States and Florida is home to over 300 of those species that assist in the pollination of agricultural commodities.  And 29 species are only found here in Florida.

This article will focus on the honey bee (Apis mellifera), a European honey bee that was brought to the Americas by early European settlers. Honey bees contribute significantly to the food supply in Florida such as strawberries, blueberries, watermelons, cucumbers, onions, and citrus fruits just to name a few. Without them, there would be little to no fruits on our table.

My backyard is a honey bee haven and I find myself mesmerized as the bees forage from flower to flower. They love the native purple passion flowers, compete for the nectar of the puffballs and go completely wild for the orange jasmine blossoms. During my early morning runs I always listen for the hum of honey bees high up in the palm trees and depending on the season, it could be the Saw Palmetto, Royal, or Queen Palms. Honey bees are attracted to their large fragrant spikes called inflorescences.

According to the University of Florida/IFAS, it takes a female bee flying 55,000 miles and visiting over two million flowers just to make one pound of honey. 

Why do bees make honey? Honey is bee food. An average hive is made up of about 60,000 bees and it takes a lot of food to feed the colony. Flowers are not always available year-round so bees will have to collect as much nectar and store enough honey to feed an entire colony.

To enjoy the fruits of the bees’ labor, I always keep jars of raw honey bought from local farmer’s markets as they offer varieties that are so unique to Florida. According to Kylene Hing, the seasonal flavors are determined by local nectar sources that vary from season to season.

How can you help your local bee population? Kylene Hing suggests checking out educational resources such as Florida Native Plant Society, Florida Wildflower Foundation and University of Florida/IFAS Gardening Solutions to find what pollinators grow best in your locality. Even a potted vegetable garden planted in the fall will attract pollinators.