The Buzz On Bees
Not only fruits, but many of the other foods on our tables depend on the pollination work of honey bees. But, important as these busy little workers are to our diet, and busy as our local beekeepers are to keep colonies of them healthy and productive, our bee population is under threat. At our meeting on April 25th we will have the opportunity to hear much about the role that bees play in our lives in addition to the ones we know about – delicious honey and beeswax products.
Chris Saad, one of our area’s major apiary operators will fill us in on many of these aspects:
- General beekeeping. How we get our bees.
- The hive society and roles: Queen, worker bee and drone.
- Honey bee pests and decline.
- How you can help honey bees.
Chris started with 3 hives with his 2 sons as a hobby in 2008. But that grew quickly; by 2010 he and his wife had started their business “Honey Trails” with 90 hives providing local honey to area residents at the Winfield and Naperville Farmers’ Markets. They currently operate 140 colonies in Kane and DuPage Counties.
In addition to their honey they craft and sell beeswax candles and various skin care products. They also build and sell woodenware hive components and distribute package bees to many area beekeeping hobbyists.
Come on April 25th and learn what we each can do to help these little guys keep working for us.