Photo (Above): by Victoria Syhalath
Depicted in poetry, art, music, and verse, the honeybee has served as both religious and poetic symbolism for the work ethic and endurance displayed by humanity. In our corner of the world, the honeybee is also a central figure in the life of our economy-- whether pollinating by chance, or pollinating fields as bees for hire.
The Gift of Pollination
And with softness touching all,
Tints the human countenance
With a color of romance, 25
And infusing subtle heats,
Turns the sod to violets
Tints the human countenance
With a color of romance, 25
And infusing subtle heats,
Turns the sod to violets
As honey bees travel from flower to flower gathering plant nectar, they also provide humans with an important service: the process of pollination. In order to access nectar stores bees must bump and bustle the pistils and stamen of flower blossoms, essentially crossing pollen from various plants and inseminating them so that the plants can bear fruit. Here in the Pacific Northwest, where much of our economy depends on agriculture, the benefits of this service comes to approximately 600 million dollars per year; the products of which include both commercial and local produce. Nationally, that number comes to about 15 billion dollars per year.
A History of Beekeeping
To the honey bee, the hive is a source of life and regeneration-- but to humans, the products of the hive represent sweetness and decadence found only in nature. Honey in its natural form has a place in human history as one the world's first sweeteners and as the first compound used to create mead. In the U.S. alone, nearly 200 million pounds of honey are produced each year. Worldwide, that number jumps up to 2 billion pounds per year. Other products of the hive, beeswax and royal jelly, are very commonly found in cosmetic products.
The harvests of the hive have been sought for human consumption for centuries. For many people it meant plundering, while other cultures attempted beekeeping-- but it wasn't until 1853 and the publications of L.L. Langstroth that the idea of "bee space" created greater efficiency and birthed the practices that are used even today.
By allowing honey bees 1/4th to 3/8th of an inch of space in which to move around between slats, bees are encouraged to not build nests and combs on the walls of a hive box. This means that slats can easily be removed and processed by beekeepers with minimum waste and little destruction to the hive box itself.
The harvests of the hive have been sought for human consumption for centuries. For many people it meant plundering, while other cultures attempted beekeeping-- but it wasn't until 1853 and the publications of L.L. Langstroth that the idea of "bee space" created greater efficiency and birthed the practices that are used even today.
By allowing honey bees 1/4th to 3/8th of an inch of space in which to move around between slats, bees are encouraged to not build nests and combs on the walls of a hive box. This means that slats can easily be removed and processed by beekeepers with minimum waste and little destruction to the hive box itself.