You asked us . . .

As soon as people hear we have bees, they start asking questions. Here's a few of the ones we hear most:

How often do you get stung?

Doug gets stung almost every day. If he would keep his gloves on he would be stung much less often, but he prefers to handle frames with his bare hands so he knowingly takes the risk. A bee sting does not bother him for more than a minute or two.

Diane, on the other hand, enters the bee yard in full, head-to-toe gear and never, ever takes it off. No bee stings for her!

Brendan prefers to work in the shop constructing boxes, so he doesn't get stung either.

Why are your bee hives so colourful? What do the symbols mean?

We have been told that bees like bright, pastel colours and that they use landmarks or visual cues to help them return to their own hive. So we use multiple paint colours and lots of stencilled symbols to guide them home. The symbols also provide us with a unique way to identify each hive.

Every beehive is a different combination of colours and symbols

How many bees do you actually have?

A nucleus hive (known as a nuc), which is a "starter hive", generally has about 10,000 bees. Over time a hive can grow to have many more tens of thousands of bees. We are guessing, but by the end of the summer most of our hives likely have an average of 50,000 bees.

Do bees die in the winter? Do you buy new bees every year?

Honey bees are not native to Alberta, because they prefer a warmer winter climate. Don't we all! Keeping the bees alive through the winter can be a real challenge, but beekeepers do their best to ensure the bees stay warm and safe through the coldest months. Climate and other factors can mean significant winter losses. In recent years, beekeepers around the world are experiencing heavy hive losses due to harsh weather and increasing disease issues. At Section Ten Honey Co we have been very fortunate to keep our winter losses around 10 to 15% the last few years, but we know that could change. Doug purchased his first four hives in 2019 (two through a Peavey Mart program that imported bees from New Zealand and two from a beekeeper in Saskatchewan). In 2021 and 2022 he purchased a few queens from a central Alberta beekeeper to offset some losses. Other than that, the bees on our bee farm were born and raised here.

Do you let people visit your bee farm?

Bee hives are fascinating and bees are amazing! We love to have visitors during the summer months, so people can learn more about all of it. We do recommend that you visit early or late in the day, when the bees are more likely to be in their hives and less likely to be out flying around. We also require all visitors to wear protective gear - that's not negotiable - and ask that people not go near our hives without us being present. If you'd like to arrange a trip to the bee farm give us a call.

We welcome visitors to visit our bee farm

What's in the pails that are pictured on top of your hives in the Facebook post of September 18?

The pails contain a sugar syrup mixture that is very similar to what you put in your hummingbird feeder. Bees don't actually make honey for people, they make it for their own use. So when we remove the honey from their hives, we provide a substitute that they can tuck away for the winter.

The pails are full of sugar syrup, which the bees draw into their hives and store to eat during the winter.

What's the story behind your Spiced Honey?

There's an ancient drink known as "Golden Milk" that is supposed to have all sorts of health benefits. It's basically a mix of milk and turmeric, but when we tried that combo we did not enjoy it, so we added honey and a few other spices, such as cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves, that are also known for their anti-inflammatory properties (and they taste much better!). Now, we just stir a spoonful of Spiced Honey into warm milk, coffee, yogurt or spread it on toast. We enjoy the health benefits and the taste!

Spiced Honey is a mix of turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Delicious!

Do you have other questions? E-mail us: diane@section10honey.com