Honey of Mine

July in Wisconsin. The sun is heavy on my shoulders. My skin is hot and humid underneath my long-sleeved shirt and netted helmet. The backyard smells lush and yeasty. The low hum of 80,000 pairs of wings fills my ears as I stuff pine needles and sumac berries into my smoker. I hold a match to my kindling, it lights. Cool, white smoke pours out of the spout.

My hands move from muscle memory. Carefully, slowly lift a corner of the hive lid, slide the smoker nozzle in, puff puff. Pause. Lift again, puff puff. Peel off the top board, sticky with mustard-colored propolis. Puff Puff.

Hardly noticing the missing roof, my girls are industrious. Moving, circling—busy. The idiom is based in truth. Tending, feeding, capping, cleaning; those at home are hard at work. Puff, puff. Carefully, slowly, lift out a frame. A quick, hard rap releases the bees in a curtain back towards the hive. I hold it up to the sun, looking for eggs.

Sunlight backlights the golden comb. I can see tiny grains of “rice” nestled in cells at the bottom of the frame, capped honey lining the top. Perfect. The precision and symmetry is a miracle. I look down, the girls are starting to notice I’m around, lining up at the top of the frame, watching. Puff, puff—they dive back down into the depths of the warm, boisterous hive.

I am a beekeeper, a charmer of small insects. It’s the easiest job in the world, and the rewards are significant. The smoke and vibration of wings lend to a meditative state, and at the end of the season—honey. You may take what the bees don’t need to survive the winter, and as assiduous as they are, they almost always make extra. I was prized 50 pounds my first season, 75 my second.

Gallons of uber-local (all pollen from a five mile radius of your home), raw, complex natural sweetener for your toast, tea, marinades, and holiday gifts.

Intrigued? Check your local ordinances. Many urban and suburban areas allow hives with few restrictions. Look for county beekeeping groups, such as the Dane County Beekeepers Association, for questions, meetings and workshops.

Try Anna’s Honey Meyer Lemon Curd recipe for a taste of the springtime-to-come!