LAURINBURG — Jeff Stone has been raising, protecting and generally messing with honeybees for about 12 years now. On Tuesday, he gave the Rotary Club a glimpse into what being a master beekeeper is all about.
Stone, owner of Wagram Apiary, opened by giving Rotarians an example of what a lack of bees can do to a crop.
“You’ve seen cucumbers that are a little crooked, not shaped quite right,” he said. “I never knew until I started working with bees that the reason cucumbers get that way is because the plant hasn’t been visited by enough bees.”
That led to a discussion about the threats to honeybees — much of which comes from the use of pesticides and herbicides.
“We’ve killed all the bugs, we’ve killed dandelions and we’ve killed clover from yards — but bees need those things,” Stone explained. “I know beekeepers who were concerned back when the region was going to start spraying for mosquitoes, and when they did, a lot of bees were killed too.”
He added that, for those who grow gardens in the yard and use Sevin dust, it is a threat to bees.
“The bees think that dust is pollen, which they like, but the dust will kill not only the bee but many others when it takes it back to the hive,” Stone said. “So if you use Sevin, do us a favor and throw it out.
“More pesticides are sprayed by residents than by farmers,” he added.
Bees continue to be an important ingredient for agriculture, accounting for a part of the equation for about one-third of all the foods we eat through the pollination process — including for things like milk and meat.
“I don’t know how many of you like tofu,” he said, “but you don’t need bees for tofu.”
Stone said the state of North Carolina needs about 500,000 operational bee hives per year to pollinate crops, but the state can account for only about 200,000 hives. So each year, hives are brought into the state for the crops to be pollinated.
Aside from the need for bees in crop production, Stone said the honey made by bees has numerous advantages for humans, including:
— It doesn’t have to be broken down by the body because it’s all natural
— It’s full of antioxidants
— Helps to flush out cancerous cells
— Is an anti-inflammatory
— Is an antiseptic, which means bacteria won’t grow on it
— Has numerous medicinal advantages
— Is helpful with pollen and sinuses
Stone said the honeybees also make an all-natural wax that can be used to create candles the will actually clean the air when burned, and does not smoke because there are no additives.
Wagram Apiary currently has about 247 hives scattered throughout Scotland County — and each hive consists of about 40,000 honeybees.
“I think Scotland County is a great place for beehives,” Stone said. “I’d put the honey here up against anyplace in the world.”
The Apiary is open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at 1220 N. Main St. in Laurinburg. The business can be reached at 910-318-1202.
W. Curt Vincent can be reached at 910-506-3023 or [email protected].
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