October 2018

LOCAL
by Harry Heisler
The new buzz in
Coral Springs
An article on an apiary? Really? That was my thought
when I was given this assignment. But I must tell you, as
I have often learned, that life throws you many surprises and
if you are open to them, your world becomes enriched in
ways you never expected… this was one of those surprises.
I met with John Coldwell, president of Broward Beekeepers
Association, and his wife, Teresa, to learn what I could about
the new apiary being built in Coral Springs. What I found out
was eye opening, indeed.
We think of bees as those pesky insects that scare us
because of their ability to inflict pain, but they are so much
more. What I learned from John and
Teresa is that 80 percent of all living things we see that are
green are a direct result of pollination from bees. I was also
told that when we are eating a meal, about 35 percent of the
food on our plates comes from bee pollination. Honey itself
is made from pollen, which is protein, and nectar, which is a
carbohydrate. Then, I was given schooling about bees.
As with some other insects, such as ants, bees are
extremely organized and self-protective; they are divided
as to their purpose in the hive. The worker bees, whose
purpose is to build and maintain the hive, gather the nectar
and pollen and produce honey. These bees will also swarm
any antagonist and fight to the death to protect their queen
and the hive. The drones (which are the bigger bees we see)
do nothing except impregnate the queen. Unfortunately,
with no stingers to defend themselves, they are removed
from the hive during the winter months, due to the fact they
don’t contribute to the hive’s sustainability. Even worse, once
they mate with the queen, they die… talk about a tough
life. As for the queen, the title speaks for itself. The queen
is responsible for all the reproduction in the hive, where she
can lay between 2,000 to 3,000 eggs a day. Her lifespan is
three to four years and it’s her pheromones that dictate the
demeanor of the bees and production of the hive, which is
why they are so highly valued. As such, they are often bred
independently and then inserted into a hive. With a European
queen, the bees are more tranquil and provide more honey
of a better quality. To note, there are absolutely no slackers
in a hive… anyone not contributing is removed. It is stated
that, flying at their top speed of 15 mph, a honeybee could
circle the globe on one ounce of honey, while never sleeping
(probably why they only live three months).
112
OCTOBER 2018