A European honey bee forages for nectar at Dana Pastrell’s farm.
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Photo credit: Alicia Santistevan
Reno Gazette-Journal |
Bee facts
- All honeybees are wild and none are native to the Americas
- Honey was used in religious ceremonies. Egyptian temples held reed and mud hives to honor the gods.
- In the early 1600s, European bees were brought to the colonies
- Workers live six weeks, drones a year, and queens up to 10 years
- 800 bees = one pound of honey
- Within a 2-mile radius, workers fly 50,000 miles and visit 250,000 flowers then die
- Bees have an extra stomach to transport nectar
- A hive = 10,000 to 60,000 + bees
- Bees fly about 15 mp.
- Bees don't fly until the weather reaches at least 50 degrees
- A bee's strong sense of smell draws it to tiny nectar drops and back home
- A swarm = 10,000 to 15,000 bees
- 3,500 bees = 1 pound
- Bees don't hibernate
- A hive needs about 100 lbs. of honey/food each winter. Beekeepers substitute a sugar mixture if the honey run short
- Local beekeepers use the familiar white layered wooden hives invented by Rev. L. L. Langstroth in 1853
- Beekeepers frequently move hives to different communities to help farmers pollinate crops
- One-third of our food depends (directly or indirectly) upon bees pollinating
- Honey taste varies depending upon the plants in bloom. Fruit trees and home gardens make for fruitier taste
- New honey (harvested earlier in the season) is usually lighter. The later season honey (left in the comb longer) is darker and stronger flavored
- Nevada honey is extra thick because of the state's low humidity
- Children under 24 months should not be given raw honey as their digestive systems are too slow to process any naturally occurring bacterium found in raw honey.
Beekeeping resources
Interested in beekeeping? Here are local and national resources to learn more about keeping honeybees.
Northern Nevada Apiculture Society
Northernnevadaapiculturesociety.org
Meetings on the second Monday of the month at 7:30 pm.
350 Capitol Hill Blvd. , Reno
Dept of Agriculture building in Board Room.
American Bee Journal
51 S. Second St .
Hamilton , IL 62341 , Dadant.com/journal
Bee Source
Beesource.com
Want to buy local honey or beeswax products? Schedule a visit.
Honey, comb honey, beeswax candles, lotion bars, and soap
Hidden Valley Honey
Chris and Karen Foster
2365 Derbish Way
Reno , NV 89502
cafoster@jps.net
856-3903
Honey, candles, and more
Joy's Honey Ranch
Leonard Joy
1210 Mineral Flat Road
Reno , NV 89506
970-3568
Honey, bees, pollination, swarm control, and beeswax
Nevada Gold Apiaries
1927 “G” St.
Sparks , NV 89431
358-0467
You'll find local honey around town at the various farmers' markets. Several society members sell honey on a one-to-one basis, contact the NNAS above.
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