The Rural Voice, 2002-05, Page 39With that upbringing it's little
wonder their 18 -year-old son John,
has brought the same ingenuity to
agriculture. Involved in various 4-H
clubs and in farming all of his life, it
was in Grade 9 when Storey decided
he'd like to learn about honey
production. He worked for a summer
with Ernst Bayer in Mitchell,
learning things like extracting honey
and splitting hives.
The next year, he bought 10 hives
from Bayer. That has increased to
number 50 today, with an average of
60,000 bees per hive. He has
maintained contact with Bayer, he
says, for input and to help him with
any problems.
The winter months are fairly quiet,
with the hives having been wrapped
in tar paper, but now that spring has
arrived Storey will get busier. Now
graduated from school, and working
full-time, he gets help with the bees
from his father, though he is able to
look after most of it on weekends and
after work, he says.
Jn spring, the hives must first be
medicated with strips to control
mites. There are also other
medications used if specific problems
arise, Storey says.
Then as the days get warmer,
"about dandelion time," says Storey,
he starts to unwrap the hives and add
more boxes. There are nine frames,
which are 19 inches in length, 8 1/2
inches deep and one inch wide, to
each box. In winter there would be
probably three boxes left in the hive
with about 60 lbs of honey.
"I would never have Tess than two
but in the summer you can add as
many as you want."
While the foundations are
purchased from a place in
Cambridge, Storey makes all the
frames and boxes himself. He
generally uses pine because it's
easier to work with.
Some hives will be exceptionally
productive, what Storey calls
"strong". As the bees need room, or
they swarm, it is necessary in these
cases to remove the queen and a box
and take them to a different bee yard.
The hive then in need of a new queen
will "make one," says Storey.
This is done by feeding one of the
larvae "royal jelly" which the bees
produce. "They're all females in
there and they decide which one will
be queen," says Storey.
From this point on, the major work
is the removal of the honey from the
hives. This is generally done weekly.
The wax cappings are first uncapped
from the frame using a fork or knife.
then the honeycomb is put into the
extractor which spins out the liquid.
A valve at the bottom of the extractor
allows for the removal of the liquid.
The honey is strained and filtered.
then left to sit for 24 hours to allow
the wax to rise to the top.
After that it is ready for the Ars,
which carry Storey's own label. The
product is sold locally at the
Winthrop General Store and retailed
at the Storey home. Also, John sells
it to his mother, who then takes it to
the Goderich Farmer's Market.
Though Storey enjoys the work,
there is an aspect which might have
some wondering why. Though he
does wear all the protective gear.
Storey says, the bees seem to manage
to "find someplace to crawl through.
every time." In the busy times. he
says, "I get stung at least once a day.
But after awhile you get so used to it,
it doesn't seem to bother you quite as
much."0
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