by Marg Seregelyi
Producing honey is a buzzing business for Wayne Tonelli.
"Anyone can become a beekeeper," says Tonelli, who is in his
fourth year of production after deciding to start a beekeeping
business as a hobby.
"Bees are very efficient and organized," explains Tonelli. "I
appreciate that. I'm a very organized person myself."
The Wanup resident learned about bee research, disease and different species by reading and watching video tapes.
"You (beekeepers) have to be registered with The Ministry of
Agriculture and Food)..."
A permit is needed for each location. The hives are government
inspected on a regular basis. All beehives are monitored for
diseases such as American Foul Brood, which can become
infectious to other hives.
An electric fence is placed around the hives to keep bears
away.
"When you get more than 50,000 bees in a colony, you can split
them to make a new one," explains Tonelli.
There is one queen per colony. She lays thousands of eggs per
day. They can be bought or produced within the hive.
Without the queen, the colony dies. Male breeders are called drones. Only the worker bees collect honey.
Tonelli will keep 100 pounds of honey inside the hives in one
particular location for the bees to eat during the winter
months where the temperature inside can reach 90 F.
Farmers benefit from bees because crops have a higher rate of
pollination.
Besides honey, beeswax and resin used to make iodine are other
products collected from the hive.
Harvesting the honey will take place in the fall. Watch for the
"Honey for Sale" signs on Highway 69 S. near Wanup.