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Bee Positive – The Backyard Beekeepers of Port Clinton, Ohio

When we think of bees, we usually think of flowers, honey, dandelions, clovers, and many other images that connect us with nature. Our connection to the earth through bees is not only a comforting link, but a necessary one; one that has seen threats in recent times of man, as well as the unexplained. But in one corner of the world, on the shores of Lake Erie, a bee phenomenon has parts of the community bursting into hives.

We’ve all heard rumors about Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), the phenomenon of worker bees abruptly disappearing from a hive, leaving honey and immature bees to perish. Throughout the history of agriculture, hive reductions have occurred, but they were not significant enough to name until 2006, when a drastic decline gave rise to the new term. The agricultural importance of bees should not be underestimated. Bees are an integral part of the ecosystem in the way they interact and connect with parts of it. More than a third of our food supply depends on the pollination services of bees and is essential for the reproduction of the plants that bees serve.

Imagine a world without blueberries, avocados, almonds, sunflowers, cranberries or, the summer favorite, watermelon. Without the honey bee, many of our staple foods would be in jeopardy. Without the bee, we would not have the direct by-product either: honey. Raw honey is antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal. Our story, without the bee, would look very different. Gunshot wounds from the Civil War were filled with honey as a way to heal and fight infection. In medieval times, before the invention of gunpowder, bees were inserted into clay balls and used as projectiles during warfare.

In more recent times, it was reported that the Cleveland Clinic provides its post-operative patients with honey toast, instead of jelly, as a post-operative recovery agent. Hotels that have begun growing their own herbs and flowers have added bee hives to their culinary repertoire for cakes, soups, salad dressings, and more. The final by-product of honey, beeswax, has been used to make candles in the Catholic Church for centuries. Seen as a sacred product, beeswax was once a requirement for all candles used in services. The ancient Egyptians used beeswax to make death masks, fashion statues of gods for graves, and embalm loved ones.

But one of the most recent steps in honey bee protection came from a very logical but surprising place: the Haagen-Dazs Corporation. In 2008, the company awarded the University of California, Davis $100,000 to address bee population declines and support research on sustainable pollination. Most recently, Haagen-Dazs partnered again with UC Davis to raise awareness of the plight of honey bees with their plans for Honey Bee Haven. This set of interconnected gardens, “Pollinator Patch”, “Nectar Nook” and “Honeycomb Hideout”, provides a year-round food source for bees. Honey Bee Haven is located on a half acre of the UC Davis campus at the Honey Bee Research Center on Bee Biology Road. Once again, imagine a world without ice cream, including Haagen-Dazs.

But corporations like these are not the only entities involved in the fight against CCD. Backyard beekeepers are springing up, or pollinating, all over the country, accompanied by associations to help “new bees” in their efforts. These organizations act as a resource for stung hobbyist beekeepers with a desire to “bee” involved. They provide forums for sharing ideas and information to increase public awareness of the benefits of natural honey and bee products. The Galvin-Gillman family of Port Clinton, Ohio exemplifies the concept of America’s hobby beekeepers on the shores of Lake Erie. This family stumbled upon, or stumbled upon, the hobby-turned-business over the summer when an opportunity to save bees presented itself.

Like many enterprising beginning beekeepers, they’ve had their share of hive hits and misses, and have gotten used to the “fly-overs” of bees returning to the hive after a busy day of pollination. The Galvin-Gillmans have also been prepared; it is imperative to dress appropriately when dealing with occupants of the hive. For head protection, a hat with a wire veil to protect the head and neck is essential. It is recommended to wear light colored coveralls as dark clothing irritates the bees making them more prone to sting as they may look like predators like skunks or bears. Bees like to go for hands and feet, so loose fitting gloves and sturdy boots are important. For added protection, shirt cuffs and pant legs are tucked in to keep bees out.

They have also learned more than they ever thought about the bee civilization. There are three types of bees active in the hive: The queen of the hive is the center of the bee universe and acts as the mother to all of them. Each hive has a queen with the sole job of laying eggs to ensure the population of the hive. Like many American homes, the hive requires a healthy and happy queen to continue to exist.

In addition to the queen, there are worker bees and drones. The thousands of worker bees that inhabit the hive have all the responsibilities except laying eggs and mating. Most species of worker bees lack the reproductive capacity of the queen and instead deposit wax to build the comb, keep the hive clean and safe, feed the larvae, drones and the queen, collect necessary nutrients for the hive and maintain uniform temperature in the developing brood area. To cool the hive, they deposit water and then fan it with their wings and to heat the hive, they gather together to generate body heat.

The hive drones have limited functions, the main one being to mate with the queen. Drones have a different body style than worker bees, including larger eyes and bodies, and more robust abdomens. Since mating with the queen occurs in flight, the larger eyes are a benefit to the drones. The minor benefits of being a drone are the fact that after copulation, the drone dies due to necessary parts being torn from the body during intercourse, and in areas of severe climate, are driven out of the hive. in autumn. The other function of the drone is to assist the worker bee in controlling the temperature of the hive. Therefore, two very important functions for a bee whose lifespan is only 90 days.

The Galvin-Gillmans were first introduced to beekeeping when a beehive was discovered not far from them in the trunk of a felled tree. Transporting the hive was complicated, treacherous and unsuccessful, but it left them wanting to continue learning the intricacies of the process. They started over and have now grown to four successful hives with more planned for the upcoming summer season. It has also given them an appreciation of the integral parts of the beekeeping adventure. A big family favorite is bee pollen, described by Beth Gillman as “the whole food.” Bee pollen has a rich earthy flavor and has been suggested to have “all the nutrients the human body needs to sustain life.” Its benefits include a boost to the immune system, the ability to develop resistance to allergens, stress reduction, and increased energy and stamina.

A sweet and chewy snack they enjoy is bee propolis, which is used as a glue in hive production and has several suggested health benefits. It has been seen to have antibiotic and antiseptic properties and possible antiviral and anti-inflammatory uses. Wary bee, however; people who react to bee stings may react to propolis in the same way.

Another benefit the Galvin-Gillman family has seen in beekeeping is the spread of buying local. On his local WPCR broadcast, All Around the Town, Chris Galvin has featured local products, businesses and people. From coffee shop to deli and everything in between, Chris has featured many local businesses, including Generous Gems, Beth’s web-based jewelry business that features every type of jewelry imaginable. Children’s, bridal, licensed, religious and awareness jewelry such as pieces for breast and ovarian cancer and autism can be found at the click of a button.

Chris has also hosted http://beekeepersalive.yolasite.com and http://builtbylove.com, the sites for the family bee business. Although the bees are ending their summer run and beginning the renaissance for a new season, the Galvin-Gillman family is not idle. Brian Gillman is acting as the worker bee, planning, plotting and scouting for new hives in time to be ready for summer. Chris and Beth are working feverishly on product design and marketing. Although Port Clinton Honey was a new company, the available honey they were trading sold out within a week. So for the time being they will work hard and keep buzzing behind the scenes until summer starts and everyone is busy as busy bees.