Jacksonville Urban Beekeepers?

[Tacachale]

Dude that's awesome! Congrats on the win and even more on the bees!

[Adam White]

Thanks all!  I feel like one of those 4h kids...lol

It's pretty cool. What attracted you to beekeeping? I take it - based on your earlier posts - that you decided to start doing this later in life. Is it something you are doing solely for fun or as a 'side hustle' or is it something you are doing (or planning to do) as a full-time job?

My wife used to have an allotment and there was another person there who had a number of hives. I thought it was very interesting, but know so little about the process. I also have a fear of being stung...

[Snaketoz]

We love orange blossom honey.  I have it most mornings.  Congrats BT.  That seems to me, to be a great hobby.

[BridgeTroll]

Thanks all!  I feel like one of those 4h kids...lol

It's pretty cool. What attracted you to beekeeping? I take it - based on your earlier posts - that you decided to start doing this later in life. Is it something you are doing solely for fun or as a 'side hustle' or is it something you are doing (or planning to do) as a full-time job?

My wife used to have an allotment and there was another person there who had a number of hives. I thought it was very interesting, but know so little about the process. I also have a fear of being stung...

One Saturday about 5 years ago there was a Honey Bee expo I attended at the Jacksonville Fair Grounds... it was just something to do on a weekend. I spent considerable time talking to beekeepers from the Jacksonville Beekeepers association and became more interested. I attended a couple meetings of the association and decided to give it a try. This endeavor was just going to be a hoby.  I researched costs and issues and took the leap. I  began with a single hive that only survived a year. Bought another hive of bees and soon discovered that you cannot just have one hive. You must split hives into two in order to prevent them from swarming. It took two years to get my first honey, three years to get enough to give away as gifts and this fourth year enough to sell.  Honey sales this year have paid for my investment over the previous years. Honestly this ious supposed to be a hobby and at this point I may only expand by another hive or two. In four+ years I have only been stung 6 times. When I am working on a hive I wear full protection but if I am just around a hive I do not as honeybees really don't care what you are doing as long as you're not messing with the hive.  If anyone has further questions I am happy to answer them...

BTW... go to the fair and check out the Jacksonville Beekeepers association booth... 

[BridgeTroll]

We love orange blossom honey.  I have it most mornings.  Congrats BT.  That seems to me, to be a great hobby.

Orange blossom honey is considered to be a monofloral honey... meaning that it comes from one type of flower nectar. I produce polyfloral or wildflower honey which comes from all the flowers the bees are working... here is a great explanation.

https://savannahbee.com/blog/monofloral-vs-polyfloral-honey-varieties

[Adam White]

Thanks all!  I feel like one of those 4h kids...lol

It's pretty cool. What attracted you to beekeeping? I take it - based on your earlier posts - that you decided to start doing this later in life. Is it something you are doing solely for fun or as a 'side hustle' or is it something you are doing (or planning to do) as a full-time job?

My wife used to have an allotment and there was another person there who had a number of hives. I thought it was very interesting, but know so little about the process. I also have a fear of being stung...

One Saturday about 5 years ago there was a Honey Bee expo I attended at the Jacksonville Fair Grounds... it was just something to do on a weekend. I spent considerable time talking to beekeepers from the Jacksonville Beekeepers association and became more interested. I attended a couple meetings of the association and decided to give it a try. This endeavor was just going to be a hoby.  I researched costs and issues and took the leap. I  began with a single hive that only survived a year. Bought another hive of bees and soon discovered that you cannot just have one hive. You must split hives into two in order to prevent them from swarming. It took two years to get my first honey, three years to get enough to give away as gifts and this fourth year enough to sell.  Honey sales this year have paid for my investment over the previous years. Honestly this ious supposed to be a hobby and at this point I may only expand by another hive or two. In four+ years I have only been stung 6 times. When I am working on a hive I wear full protection but if I am just around a hive I do not as honeybees really don't care what you are doing as long as you're not messing with the hive.  If anyone has further questions I am happy to answer them...

BTW... go to the fair and check out the Jacksonville Beekeepers association booth... 

Wow...sounds like you've really learned a lot and put a lot into this. It's very cool and maybe something for me to aspire to in a few years' time. Seems like it would be very satisfying.

[BridgeTroll]

Update...

Since moving to the north Georgia mountains I have continued beekeeping. I sell my honey in a honor system kiosk at the end of my driveway. People put their money in a jar on the table and take what they bought. No one has EVER stolen a dollar or any honey. I have maintained an average of 4 hives and sell about $3-4k every year. I  have 2 harvests every year... once around July 4 and another and of September. The second harvest is a specialty honey called Sourwood that comes from a flowering sourwood tree that only grows up here in the mountains.

[jaxlongtimer]

Recently received some Sourwood honey from around Nashville .  Wasn't familiar with it before, so funny seeing you bring up here so soon after that.

[Tacachale]

That's so awesome! My neighbors have a hive in their front yard. We've put out some pollinating plants to help them produce. Haven't tried that honey yet, but at this point we only ever get local honey.

[jaxlongtimer]

My favorite honey is Tupelo but it is getting ever harder to find and more expensive when it is found.  Only comes from the panhandle of Florida around the Apalachicola river basin (although one source also says it can come from the Okefenokee Swamp). 

One book writer about honey on NPR said it was her favorite honey too, from ones all over the world that she had experienced.

At one time, it was available in Whole Foods but haven't checked again in years.  Looks like you can buy it online.

A few tidbits for the uninitiated:

Florida Tupelo honey is one of the rarest honeys in the world. Featuring an exquisite buttery flavor and light color, honey from the tupelo tree is sought after by honey aficionados the world over. It even inspired a song from the legendary Van Morrison.

Is Tupelo honey expensive?
White tupelo honey is sometimes called fine tupelo honey and is the most expensive honey because it is the most expensive to produce. Care must be taken by the beekeepers to clean the combs at the right time so that when the white tupelo gum tree blossoms, only the honey from these blossoms is collected.

Does Tupelo Honey raise blood sugar?
One might wonder, "Is Tupelo honey better for diabetics?" In contrast to processed white sugar, which can cause blood sugar levels to fluctuate rapidly, the fructose in Tupelo honey doesn't affect a person's blood sugar level as drastically, making it a safer sweetener for diabetics.

Tupelo Honey Facts and L.L. Lanier and Son's Family History
Tupelo honey is a specialty honey produced from the tupelo gum tree which grows profusely along the Chipola and Apalachicola rivers of northwest Florida. Here in the river swamps, this honey is produced in a unique fashion. Bees are placed on elevated platforms along the river's edge, and the bees fan out through the surrounding Tupelo blossom laden swamps during April and May and return with their precious treasure. This river valley is the only place in the world where high quality Tupelo Honey is produced commercially.

Real Tupelo honey is a light gold amber color with a greenish cast and has a unique floral fragrance. The flavor is delicious, delicate, and distinctive. Tupelo is a delightful sensation to the taste buds. Good white tupelo unmixed with other honeys will not granulate, due to its high fructose low glucose ratio.

[Josh]

Tupelo honey also doesn't crystalize like other honeys.

[BridgeTroll]

Tupelo honey also doesn't crystalize like other honeys.

Same with Sourwood...

Appalachian sourwood honey is one of the most prized honeys in the world. Compared to our bold Appalachian Honey, the Sourwood has a remarkably delicate flavor profile, characterized by anise and spice. Sourwood honey's flavor is so remarkable, it regularly wins the Apimonda world champion honey contests and is highly coveted by food connoisseurs throughout the world.

How does it taste? Chef Paul Smith says: "Appalachian Beekeeping Collective sour wood honey may be the best honey I have ever tasted. When I tasted the first spoon It brought me back to the first time I gently pulled the stem and touched my tongue to the nectar bead of the honey suckle flower on my grandfathers honey suckle vine. There is nothing better than smells and flavors to spark vivid memories. My immediate second memory is the first time I tasted Hungarian Tokaji dessert wine. With good acidity, freshness, balance, intensity and great aromatic complexity with floral essences, along with hints of peaches and ripe plums. The honey flavors are complex, reminiscent and of quince, caramel and nuts such as almonds and hazelnuts." - Chef Paul Smith, Charleston, West Virginia 

[jaxlongtimer]

For the curious, this is an article on Van Morrison's Tupelo Honey song:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupelo_Honey_(song)

Here he is singing it on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGkQ4mPiyoU (18+ million views in 7 years)

[JaxJersey-licious]

"Tupelo Honey" is a song from that era that does not get anywhere near the attention it deserves (along with "Jackie Wilson (I'm In Heaven When You Smile)".  Big Van Morrison fan's know this but songs like that are overshadowed by the iconic successes of "Brown-Eyed Girl" and "Moondance".  "Tupelo Honey" should be considered one of the all time rock classics from that period.