HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1998-03-18, Page 74rage 15A - harm Progress '9Kf
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Perth County beekeeper
would like to see
the industry grow
by Lee Ann Waterman
Beekeeper Ernst
Bayer, who lives
and farms in
Mitchell, says that Ontario
needs more beekeepers
and more bees.
"We need more active
beekeepers," he says,
adding further that "every
farmer should be a bee-
keeper." -
Bees are necessary to
the success of certain crops
such as strawberries,
apples and other fruit -bear-
ing plants and trees which
require the insects for pol-
lination.
The bee business, and
therefore these types of
crops, in Canada are
threatened by two mites
which came to the country
with bees purchased from
the southern United States.
The best way to prevent
these mites from destroy-
ing a hive, says Bayer. is to
buy and breed mite -resis-
tant Kees. Mite -resistant
Kees, which were devel-
oped in. England and
Denmark. have been avail-
able in Canada for the past
six years, he says.
However, this type of bee,
called buckfast, takes
longer to build-up a hive in
the spring than bees native
to Ontario.
Bayer suggests the solu-
tion may be a hybrid of the
buckfast and local Ontario
bees:
Bayer, now - 74, first
learned about raising bees
when he was in elementary
school in his native
'Czechoslovakia — and he
says he still performs the
same tasks he was taught
more than 60 years ago.
"Nothing has changed
in the handling of bees in
the last 200. years," he
says. "Bees stay the same.
only people are changing."
More than 20 years ago,
Bayer moved to Perth
County to farm. He now
owns several farms and
164 hives which produce
about 50 -lbs. of honey
each. every year.
Most of his harvest is
sold to a Newmarket -based
bakery. But he keeps some
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for himself and
friends and also
enough to produce a
few batches of honey
wine.
The wine, which
can be sweet or dry,
is manufactured in
the same way one
would make wine
from fruit.
"It doesn't matter
whether you're producing
wine from honey, apples or
grapes," says Bayer, "it's
the same, it's fermenta-
tion."
There are only four
ingredients in honey wine
— water, yeast, nutrient
and, of course, honey.
High-quality water. from a -
spring or a well, is very
important, says Bayer.
Town or city water that has
chlorine and other chemi-
cals added, is not suitable
as it will kill the yeast. The
nutrient is added as food
for the yeast because
honey alone does not con-
tain enough minerals.
Beekeeper Ernst Bayer
Bayer's enthusiasm for
honey wine has caught on
with other area residents,
who have formed a club. -
"I like bees," he says of
why beekeeping has
become a life-long pursuit.
"Some people play cards
and 1 keep bees. It's an
excellent job for older peo-
pie like me or younger
people that have time for
hobbies."
To encourage more peo-
ple to start hives in the
arca, Bayer offers free
courses in beekeeping,
"Anybody can do it
who can lift 60 -lbs. (the -
weight of a bee hox full of
honey)." he says.
Sea buckthorn
a new "fruit"
Sea buckthorn- for..
years a hardy shrub
grown: in'shehterbelts and
wildlife habitats in
Saskatchewan - has
recently made the jump to
orchard like plantations
for commercial .produc-
tion as a new Canadian
"fruit" crop. Agriculture
and Agri -Food Canada
(AAFC) researchers
from the Prairie Farm
Rehabilitation
Administration (PFRA)
in Indian Head, SK, and
the Pacific Agriculture
Research Centre (PARC)
in Summerland, B.C., are
„studying fruit quality,
set'dction- a d _developing
crop management 'of sea.
buckthorn, especially the
cultivar'Indian-Summer.
The scientists have
found . geographic loca-
tion of the plantations is
important to the oil con-
tent of the seeds, fruit
size, and moisture con-
tent.
Contact: Bill
Schroeder, PFRA, AAFC,
Indian Head, SK (306)
695-2284 or Tom Li,
PARC, AAFC,
Summerland, B.C. (250)
494-6375