THE APICULTURIST: A PHOTO STORY

Hannah Vance the apiarist, goddess of the apiary and her worker bees. Of the more than 20,000 species of bees, the honey bee is the only species to produce honey. This is primarily done in the summer to feed themselves during the colder winter months when flowers are scarce and pollen is not abundant. The honey is high in sugar and nutrients, providing sufficient energy to survive the cold winter temperatures. The apiarist or bee keeper, provides the bees with perfect conditions for the apiary or bee yard, to make an overabundance of honey. This approach allows the bees enough food to endure the winter and bee keeper enough honey to take and harvest.

Honey bees fly about their apiary (hive) on a warm summer day in Limerick, Pennsylvania. Each type of bee in the colony has a working job. While the female worker bees tend to the queen making sure she is fed and happy, the male drone bees are strictly there to fertilize her eggs.

Hannah poses for a quick picture while suiting up to tend to her bees. “This mesh face mask made by ProVent will protect my face and provide visibility while I am working at the hives”, she tells me.

Hannah finishes getting dressed in her protective gear. The tools at her feet are used to assist in her work at the hive and to inspect the honey comb.

This smoker is filled with smoldering egg cartons to temporarily disrupt the honey bees work and clear out the hive. The smoke does not harm the bees and allows Hannah access to the honey comb with special tools without injuring the bees.

Wearing special gloves, Hannah displays a small honey comb with a pair of frame grippers. “The job of the smoker has functioned properly”, Hannah states (as the comb is usually covered with honey bees) “I can now inspect the progress of the honey comb.”

A close up shot of honey bees working on their comb. Each comb is kept in the hive like a file in a filing cabinet. This particular comb houses about 12 ounces of honey which is seen dripping from the center. Hannah tells me, “the honey bees will quickly repair this minor blemish.”

As the summer heat sets in, the honey bees can be seen bearding on the outside of their hive. Hannah explains that the bees leave the hive and huddle together on the outside, beating their wings and thus creating air flow to regulate the hive's internal temperature.

Honey bees gather on the ledge of a birdbath nearby. Water aids in keeping the bees cool in warm weather and also assists in diluting any honey that has crystallized in the hive.

A honey bee grabs a refreshing drink of water using its long and pointy proboscis, aka tongue. The bee will either digest the water here or carry it back to the hive to assist in an evaporative cooling technique where they fan a film of water much like a human air conditioner.

Hannah cleans up at the honey bee hives, making sure each comb is put back in place and each lid is secure. Additionally, she routinely checks for cracks and overcrowding of the hive.

As the sun begins to set the honey bees become lethargic and are only concerned with finding shelter inside the hive for the evening. "During these hours they are less likely to consider human contact a threat", Hannah explains.

Finally, her work is done at the hives. Hannah keeps her protective gear and hive tools in the Vance barn where they are stored for the next day of beekeeping.