Honey Bee Folklore

Bee folklore exists all around the world, as bees are kept for their honey and byproducts across the globe. Being from Utah, I have been immersed with bee folklore. Utah's state emblem is the beehive.

When the Mormon (Latter Day Saints) Pioneers came across the plains, they came with very little of their possessions. They couldn’t bring most of their belongings, including their livestock, with them across the plains. When they arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, they were greeted with desert sagebrush and only the promise of religious freedom.

The symbol of the beehive became one of importance to the Mormon Pioneers. Brigham Young, the second prophet of the Latter Day Saint Church and Utah’s first governor, needed to encourage the people to continue to establish their Zion in the desert. Susan Easton Black, a professor at Brigham Young University stated, “The beehive symbol was Brigham Young’s way to remind residents of the Jaredite civilization in America.” In the Book of Mormon, the Jaredites are known as one of the first groups of people to leave Egypt and travel to the Americas, also called the Promised Land. The beehive represented unity and industry; much like the honey bees themselves (Black).

Artwork of beehives began to immerge from the Mormon Pioneers. Brigham Young’s house is called “The Beehive House” (see figure 1) and is available for tours in downtown Salt Lake. The home is filled with artifacts from Brigham Young’s family as well as the original décor engrained emblematically with the beehive.

Figure 1. Brigham Young Beehive House photograph from "The Beehive House", 2018.

Brigham Young was a man of many talents, one of them being carpentry. Walking through the home, one can see beehives etched into the smallest of elements in the home. The doorframes have bees etched into them (see figure 2). The doorknobs have a beehive on the doorknob plate and a bee on the doorknob (see figure 3). The banisters in Brigham Young’s house are capped with the symbolic beehive (see figure 4).

Figure 2. Doorframe, Brigham Young Beehive House, photograph. Betsy Butler, 2011.

Figure 3. Doorplate and doorknob at Brigham Young Beehive House, photograph. Betsy Butler, 2011.

Figure 4. Banister, Brigham Young Beehive House, photograph. "The Beehive House", 2018.

 

Brigham Young’s symbolic beehive became an inspiration throughout the Mormon Pioneers in their new Zion. The symbol so meaningful to the Pioneers, they engraved it into their holiest of places, their temple. The doorknobs on the Salt Lake City Temple clearly state “Holiness to the Lord” with a beehive under the religious mantra (see figure 5).

Figure 5. Salt Lake City Temple Doorknob, photograph. "Salt Lake Temple Doors." 2018.

Work Cited

Black, Susan Easton. “The Beehive and Seseret: Mormon Symbols in Salt Lake City.” Religious Studies Center, 2011, rsc.byu.edu/archived/salt-lake-city/7-beehive-and-deseret-mormon-symbols-salt-lake-city

Butler, Betsy. “Spot Beehives, Eat Rolls, and Learn about Pioneer Life at Brigham Young's Beehive, Lion House and Historic Park.” Beesfirstapperance, 27 Sept 2011, beesfirstappearance.wordpress.com/2012/09/21/beehive-house/

“Salt Lake Temple Doors.” LDS Media Library, 2018, www.lds.org/media-library/images/salt-lake-temple-lds-661115?lang=eng

 “The Beehive House: Step inside the historic home of Brigham Young.” Temple Square, 2018, www.templesquare.com/explore/beehive-house/

Honey Production and Manpower

Honey production for the backyard apiculturist can easily be accomplished by one beekeeper. During the summer months, one must check on their hive once a week, making sure all entries to the hive are clear, the bees are active, and there is plenty of water. When it comes time to harvest the honey, the task really does take one person and some equipment for extracting honey. Although some involve their family or friends to help, it isn’t required. (Honey Bees and Beekeeping 6.4)

But, to make a living on beekeeping for honey production, one must have more than 30 hives. The labor isn’t intensive until it comes time to harvest the honey, which then would take more than one person to cultivate and process.  The average backyard apiculturist will have only one or a few hives. If your purpose is to sell honey, four hives will generate about $200-500 a year. (Connally)

David Kelly of Kellybees in Shady Dale, Georgia, has over 300 colonies he maintains. More equipment is involved to save on labor costs. In the video, Honey Bees and Beekeeping 6.4, David Kelly states, “Such a business…[do] as much of it as you can by yourself...If you’re making the money to afford the help that’s okay…But you’re not going to just start off small and hire people and expect to make money at it.”

Apiary jobs are unique. You are working with animals, the bees, but the goal is to collect the product the bees create. Apiary jobs may not necessarily involve being a beekeeper, either. If you’re a hired hand, you may be asked to maintain the area around the hive. Some want honey to be a certain flavor, such as clover honey, and the hired hand is to maintain the plants. When harvest time comes, the job could be to collect the combs, to stoke the smoker, or even to maintain the equipment. After the collection of the honey has been completed, someone will need to deliver the honey to a local market or to a facility for commercial purposes. (Apiary Jobs)

Cox Honeyland in Logan, Utah is a locally owned company which focuses on honey and its byproducts. According to their website, Henderson Cox, the founder, began beekeeping in St. George, Utah over 100 years ago. After a few decades in St. George, Marion Cox moved to Cache Valley where he continued on the tradition. The production of honey became a bigger business in 1989 when Cox Honeyland remained open year-round with a gift shop off of Hwy 89. They offer an array of honey and byproducts. The business began with one person, then eventually grew to include the family. (Cox Honeyland) 

If generating an income from honey is your goal, it is possible. It doesn’t require added labor, unless you plan on having a lot of colonies. The education required isn’t too intensive either. Starting a backyard hive requires a few classes on beekeeping, reading some books, and getting advice from seasoned apiculturists. All you need to start your business is a bee box, a colony of bees, and a little education.

Work Cited

“Apiary Jobs.” Job Monkey, 2018, www.jobmonkey.com/farming/apiary-jobs/

 Connally, Abe. Comment on “Honey as a main income.” Premies.com, 2011,

           permies.com/t/4350/Honey-main-income

Cox Honeyland of Utah, 2012, www.coxhoney.com/

“Honey Bees and Beekeeping 6.4: Commercial honey processing.” Youtube,
           uploaded by BeeHealth, 29 June 2010,
           https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rhm4uvkcUs

Eco Bee Box Advertisement: Sustainable At Home Business

Eco Bee Box. Bees for Fun and Profit: Sustainable At Home Business. 2018, Image.

Some novices go into backyard beekeeping for honey production with the idea of turning their hobby into a business. Taken by this thought of creating a backyard business, this ad captures immediate attention. Bees for Fun and Profit: Sustainable At Home Business. This advertisement was taken from a bee box manufacturer’s website (Eco Bee Boxes). This advertisement uses a mixture of elements to create a feeling of excitement and joy at the idea of creating your own business using their bee boxes.

By looking at the image, of a pleased woman holding a jar of honey in one hand and a jar of beeswax in the other of which she apparently cultivated from the bee box to her side, you’d think creating an at home business beekeeping would not only be fun, but profitable as well. Boldly in black lettered font at the top, it states: “Bees for Fun and Profit.” Subtly below, but still making a statement in contrast to the black text above, in white it states: “Egyptians Called it a ‘Gift from the Gods’”. Not only are the bold statements suggesting beekeeping for honey production is fun, but you can easily turn your hobby into a profitable business because according to the Egyptians, honey is valuable. The banner in which the fonts are printed over is a golden hue of yellow, another symbolic trait of honey and wealth. The bee box, which is not subtly placed at the woman’s side, is the symbol of honey production as well as profit. Without Eco Bee Boxes, this woman wouldn’t have been able to cultivate her honey and beeswax.

Subtly placed, there is a beehive image burnt into the wooden bee box, almost suggesting this bee box is the new way of bees making a hive. On the woman’s beekeeping suit, there is another beehive embroidered into the fabric, suggesting she’s the master of the hive. The overall colors of the advertisement are organic in nature. Not bold or loud, but warm and comforting with golden yellow hues as if taken on a calm, summer morning before the bees have come out to work.

Over all, the advertisement suggest tranquility, ease of profit making, and even communion with the bees to turn your backyard hobby into a profitable business. With the help of the proper equipment and a little knowledge, one can profit from the gift of the gods and have fun at the same time.

Work Cited

Eco Bee Box. Bees for Fun and Profit: Sustainable At Home Business. 2018, Image, ecobeebox.com/

History of Beekeeping

Much like today, honey was a rich commodity for our ancestors, providing them with food, used for medicinal purposes, and for tools, such as waterproofing pottery. Recent archaeological evidence shows mankind has been exploiting honeybees for nearly 9,000 years in what is now Turkey. Evidence such as cave paintings, pottery, and artifacts coated in beeswax all tell the story of mankind and their first success at apiculture. Helen Briggs, a writer for BBC News, stated:

International scientists examined over 6,000 pottery vessels to piece together a map of the honeybee at a time when the world had just emerged from the last Ice Age about 10,000 years ago.  Lifestyles were shifting from hunter-gathering towards growing the first crops and keeping animals for meat, milk and skin. (par. 8-9)

Eva Crane, a renowned apiculturist, wrote in her book Honey: Past, Present, and Future, honey bees have evolved to produce honey in colonies long before mankind even existed. Crane continues by stating honey bees in the Old World have been producing honey for 10 or 20 million years. However, Crane states early man didn’t keep the bees in manmade hives, but bee hunted to cultivate the honey and the wax. Much like primates who shove a long stick into a hive, wiggle it around inside, and pull it out covered in honey, our early ancestors did the same. However, it was only a matter of time before man was able to bee-keep and not simply bee hunt. (142)

Crane states the earliest evidence we have of beekeeping for honey production dates back to Ancient Egypt where stone carvings depict horizontal manmade hives around 2400 BCE. Crane explains Ethiopians in the High Simien mountains are still making bee hives out of mud, dung, and straw, utilizing the materials around them to keep bees for honey production. She states the illustrations from Ancient Egypt are similar in resemblance to those found in Ethiopia. (142)

Shanta Barley wrote in her article, Biblical bee-keepers picked the best bees, researchers have found evidence of beehives in ancient Near East in modern day Tel Rehov, Israel. The picture below shows the uncovered clay tubes. Barley states, “Each one has a hole on one side which would have served as a “bee flap” and a lid on the opposite side to give bee-keepers access to the honeycomb” (par. 3).

Ancient Beehive. Bees used these holes to enter and exit from the ancient clay hives at Tel Rehov, Israel.

(Image: Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

Mark Grossmann, an apiculturist, explains the mud, clay, and dung hives our ancient ancestors once used are still used today, but with a little better technique (as pictured below). He states, “Throughout the [Old World], unbaked mud, straw, clay and dung were shaped into long tubes—something like the modern baked clay tile” (par. 2). Inside the tubes, bees were able to build combs and fill them with honey. Once the beekeeper was ready to harvest the honey, they would smoke one end of the tube, driving the bees out the other end. Then, they would harvest the honey, just as we do today.

Mud and Clay Tube Beehives, 2014.

(Image: Mark Grossmann)

Some of our techniques for harvesting honey have evolved, but our ancestors were the ones to bee-keep with intent to harvest the byproducts of socialized bees. Today, just as in the past, honey is still a commodity people seek out for food, medicinal purposes, and tools.

Work Cited

“Ancient Beehive.” 2010. Hebrew University of Jerusalem. New Scientist, newscientist.com/article/dn19013-biblical-bee-keepers-picked-the-best-bees/

Barley, Shanta. “Biblical bee-keepers picked the best bees.” New Scientist, 07 June 2010, www.newscientist.com/article/dn19013-biblical-bee-keepers-picked-the-best-bees/

Briggs, Helen. “Prehistoric farmers were first beekeepers.” BBC News, 11 Nov. 2015, www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-34749846

Crane, Eva. “Honey: Past, Present, and Future.” American Bee Journal, vol. 117, no. 3, 1977, pp. 142-145.

Grossmann, Mark. “Hive: What is a “Mud and Clay Tube Beehives”?” Grossmann’s Hives. 11 Sept. 2014. grossmannsbees.wordpress.com/2014/09/11/hive-what-is-a-mud-and-clay-bee-hive/

Grossmann, Mark. “Mud and Clay Beehives.” Grossmann’s Hives. 11 Sept. 2014. grossmannsbees.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/p1040978.jpg

All About Me

I live in the rural community of Hyde Park, Utah, which is about 100 miles north of Salt Lake City. Born and raised in a farming community, I was surrounded by agriculture and farming. I grew up on a sod farm, which I admit sounds sort of funny, but learned to work hard as well as play hard. Recently, I have gained an interest in honey bees and their production of honey. 

Above is a picture of my dad (Steven Thorne) inserting the queen into the hive.

copyright Natalie Resch 2017