The Sweetest Thing

While our main product is our biweekly produce boxes, one of my favourite things is to make space for other food items from the region from various local producers through our Grocery Add-On items. One product that we’ve stocked since we started is honey from Norton Shore Living.

Gary & Mary Pollock used to be neighbours of mine (I met Mary when my friend, my dog and I accidentally walked through the woods and into their backyard), and it is a pleasure to be able to sell their product. I had a chance to ask Gary a bit about his honey production, and he was generous enough to share with all of us. So, for those with a sweet tooth or an interest in our friends the bees, this one is for you. But first off, did you know that a bee keeper is called an apiarist? So fancy, I know! 

What made you interested in beekeeping?

• My interest in starting beekeeping was quite by chance. A neighbor friend mentioned he was thinking of getting a bee hive. After I thought about it for a bit, I decided that was a neat hobby idea! I was retired and had time to fill. The next spring, we each purchased a hive. My interest in bees grew from that first hive. The way the bees go about their life is quite amazing and sets an example of how humans should live. They are hard working and perform several different tasks during their relatively short life.

When did you get your first hive?

• I picked up my first hive in 2015. I now have 50+ hives. The queen bee can lay 1000 to 2000 eggs a day during the spring and early summer, so a colony can grow quite quickly. Usually by the second, maybe third, season, the new hive becomes overcrowded and needs to be split into one or 2 new hives. If I don’t split the hive, they will split it themselves – this is called a swarm -  roughly half of the bees will leave the hive in search of new home and building a new colony. Sometimes I catch the swarm and start another hive. Your hive numbers can grow quickly, over the years!

Why did you start your business and where are you located?

• Our home is on the Norton Shore Road in Kingston. I have some hives there; others in a field on the Hill Road and others at a friend’s farm in Norton. As my hive numbers grew, I could no longer use all the honey, so I began selling. That was probably 6 or 7 years ago.
• My Honey is branded “Norton Shore Living”!

Where else do you sell your honey?

• Besides LifeDirt, I also sell my honey at Cochran’s Market in Rothesay, the Kingston and Whitehead stores on the Peninsula, and Ole Foggy Distillery in Hampton. During the summer, I also sell at Bates Landing in Belleisle as well as the Tourists Information Centre in Hampton. My honey is sold as raw honey, meaning it has not gone through a high heat pasteurization/filter process. This helps the honey retain its health benefits.

Tell us something that people may not know about bees.

• While the Queen bee (1 per hive), can live up to 3 years, the life of the worker bee is relatively short. Bees born in the spring and summer, live about 6 weeks. Bees born in the fall, called winter bees, have the ability to live through to the next spring.
• The worker bee progresses through many different jobs – cleaners, nurse duties, guard duties and during their final weeks, nectar gathering.
• Bees can gather nectar 2 – 3 kms from their hive. They seem to possess a built in “GPS”, always returning to their hive, which is quite amazing as some of my fields have 25 hives.
• Male bees are called drones. Their sole purpose is to fertilize a new queen, that may be in the area. They serve no other purpose in the hive, and are actually kicked out of the hive in the fall, by the female worker bees.
• A bee hive can be home to over 40,000 bees.

What is your favourite way to eat honey?

• I usually have a spoonful every morning. My 5 year old grandson, when he is here, likes to have “honey on his finger” – it’s that good! I love the taste of honey! My wife, Mary, uses it in her coffee. I like it on toast and some cereals. I also make “Hot Spiced” honey a few times a year. This is excellent on Pizza and Chicken wing, and to make certain breads (Beer Bread in particular).

What about you? Are you a honey lover? If you’re interested in trying Gary and the bees’ beautiful product, head to our website: https://lifedirt.ca/products/honey-local-raw

You’ll also find products from numerous other local producers, as well as our biweekly produce boxes! We’ll see you over there :)

 

Thanks for reading!

Miriam