Kelly and Kevin Parker raise bees on their hobby farm near Perley. (BEHIND) Honeybees cluster on a honeycomb.
Red River Valley Beekeepers’ Lisa Burns introduces young students to the lore of honeybees.
A honeybee gathers nectar from a flower.
Nancy Edmonds Hanson
Looking for a sweet way to support the region’s threatened population of pollinators … or simply a sweet hobby? The Red River Valley Beekeepers are here to help newcomers and experts alike master the challenges of starting and supporting healthy hives in the Minnesota and Dakota climates.
Yes, climates with an S. “Microclimates are important,” says Kelly Parker, past president of the association. “You go through several microclimates between Moorhead and our hobby farm near Perley.” Elevation affects the temperature of the soils, in turn awakens the plants whose blooms will draw out bees from their hives, where they’ve clustered for warmth throughout the northern winter.
Clearly, there’s more to honeybee culture than watching the busy insects gathering nectar from gardens and wild nature, then collecting the golden honey from their hives. Now in its eighth year, the beekeepers association meets monthly to educate those passionate about the gentle creatures, offering training and support for establishing hives and keeping the tens of thousands of bees inside healthy, happy and productive.
Meetings are held at 6:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at First Presbyterian Church in Moorhead. Newcomers are welcome; there’s no charge. Programs are based on the longer beekeeping course offered by the University of Minnesota.
Kelly and past president Lisa Burns of Downer are also presenting an introductory program to the local chapter of Minnesota Women in Conservation at the Moorhead Public Library on Thursday, March 27.
Kelly, an avid gardener, became interested in establishing her own hives eight years ago. “A coworker mentioned that keeping honeybees would increase the yields in my garden,” she remembers, adding. “My husband was surprisingly supportive … probably because he had no idea of all it would entail.”
While most of the 200 bee enthusiasts on the Red River Valley Beekeepers live in rural areas within a 100-mile radius of Fargo-Moorhead, some maintain their hives in town. Fargo ordinances permit private hives in residential areas, she says. Moorhead does not.
Beginning beekeepers are advised to begin with a pair of hives, enabling them to see differences and spot potential issues as they grow their operation. The familiar boxy hives and the frames that hang within them are just the beginning. The greater expense, Kelly notes, is the bees themselves.
Honeybees are not native to North America. The Western honeybee, Apis mellifera, was brought here from Europe. Today, the species most common in this area come from California, with three-pound packages containing 10,000 or so bees sold by the beekeepers’ group at a cost of $150. They’ll multiply in their new Minnesota or Dakota home; by the peak of the growing season, 100,000 may occupy a single hive.
When many people hear “bees,” they think “sting.” Kelly debunks that notion: “Honeybees are incredibly gentle. They don’t sting willy-nilly. When you move slowly and gently, they’re fine. But it’s not a good idea to bang around – they’re startled when the hive is threatened, and start emitting alarm pheromones. That’s when they sting. They don’t want to; when they sting, they’ll die. But they will give up their lives to protect the hive.”
She adds that what the public calls “bee stings” are usually from wasps, yellowjackets and hornets.
Bees typically live for just 42 days, spending the last three weeks or so collecting nectar and, at the same time, pollinating most of the fruits and vegetables in humans’ diets. They store the nectar in an organ called the “honey stomach,” separate from the digestive system, where enzymes begin to break the sugars down, then store it in cells in the hive. There, other bees fan their wings to accelerate the evaporation process, turning it into honey.
Dandelions are the bees’ first source of nectar and pollen. “They’re not the greatest, but they’re the first they have,” the beekeeper says. “But spraying can poison the bees.” She advises checking with the Extension Service office to find which products are safe and which are toxic.
One hive, Kelly says, can yield from 50 to 100 pounds of that honey. Its taste reflects the species of flowers on which the bees have dined – from the mild flavors of wildflowers and most cultivated plants to the dark, rich, spicy notes of buckwheat.
That’s unlike some store-bought honeys. “Many commercial honeys sold in supermarkets come from China, and have been found to contain little or none of the real thing,” she cautions. Instead, producers have cut their costs by substituting cheaper sugar syrups from other sources, perhaps tinted with only a touch of the more expensive authentic product.
Beekeepers get to enjoy the real thing … the product of their own hives. And more: Their colonies are combating the alarming loss of essential pollinators that threatens the future of foods we take for granted.
