The Secret Life of Missouri's Bees

story and photos by Samantha Rhoades, posted Nov. 19, 2009

When most people in Columbia think of black and gold, they think of the University of Missouri and the Bengal tiger. But not Art and Vera Gelder, who own Walk-About Acres, one of Columbia’s honeybee farms. They think of the little insect that directly pollinates one-third of the food we eat — honeybees.

The Gelders have been beekeepers for 17 years on their farm that is also home to peacocks, llamas and other animals, along with their greenhouses and apiaries, which are bee yards. They have been vendors at the Columbia Farmers Market for more than five years, and Columbia residents recognize them for their live bee display and honey ice cream.

	Vera Gelder, of Walk-About Acres, and her husband Art have been beekeepers for 17 years. They sell some of their harvest at the Columbia Farmers Market.

 

“The idea of honey ice cream just seemed healthy, and it was as delicious as it sounded,” said Linda Brengarth, resident of Prairie Home, Mo. “The vendors were wonderful and wanted to share information, as well as sell a product.”

Vera Gelder said the best time to buy honey is any time of the year, and that selling their honey at the market is a rewarding experience because of the people, both fellow vendors and customers.

“It’s like a social event, every Saturday morning we have a party,” Vera Gelder said. “Our customers are also fantastic. Typically they are very knowledgeable about the food they buy, and they care where their food is coming from and how it was raised.”

Sweet truth about honeybees
Richard Houseman, MU’s associate professor of plant sciences, said consumers often only think of honey, but should be aware of the roles bees and beekeepers play in our everyday trips to the supermarket.

“The reason bees are so special is because they can be managed and manipulated,” Houseman said. “They have become a keystone organism, having a hand in pollination for fruit, vegetables and many other things we use.”

Some may not realize that honeybees also indirectly pollinate alfalfa that feeds livestock and the cotton in our clothes, which affects many of us every day.

Vera Gelder said honey is also the only food we eat that never spoils and that people have found honey in the pyramids of Egypt more than 5,000 years old that was still good to eat.

While some beekeepers harvest honey throughout the year, the Gelder’s only harvest twice a year, once in early July and again in late September. Typically as the season progresses, the honey gets darker from the different flowers the bees visit. Vera Gelder said the darker honey has more nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants, and it generally has more flavor, too.

“If you put our honey under a microscope you would still see the pollen in there, and that gives it flavor and all the nutrients,” Vera Gelder said.

She said pollen is 27 percent protein, and many beekeepers and farmers market customers think eating local honey helps with allergies.

The Gelder’s sell wildflower honey, which means the bees collected pollen from the wildflower fields surrounding their hives. Some beekeepers raise honey for specific flavors, such as clover, buckwheat and apple blossom. Those beekeepers set their hives near particular flowers to achieve the desired taste.

The honey-making process
No matter what flower bees choose, they work hard to make their honey. If it’s too humid, bees will fan honey with their wings. When it’s at the right moisture content they preserve the honey by sealing it off in the combs with wax.

Bees don’t sleep at night or during the winter because they are constantly working on the hive by cleaning, caring for baby bees, and making honey or beeswax. The bees also use hydrogen peroxide, which is produced when the glucose in honey reacts with oxygen, to keep the environment sterile.

Bees make honey as a winter food source and will often make more than needed in case the next season something prevents them from making more.

Gelder said as beekeepers they work hard to balance the harvest and keep the bees happy. She’s a beekeeper not only because it is a good business, but because it helps the environment.

“Honey is the only food we eat that an insect makes,” Gelder said. “Due to colony collapse disorder bees are having a struggle right now.”

Facts on Colony Collapse Disorder
Houseman, MU’s go-to expert on insect disease, said CCD was first found in Pennsylvania and Florida in late 2006, but has since been found in all fifty states.

“You’ll have a thriving hive, say with 40,000 individuals, and then keepers will check their bees and find only a queen and a few workers, the rest have disappeared,” Houseman said.

Beekeepers have said this disorder has been responsible for killing 30 to 90 percent of their hives. Houseman said scientists are investigating several different possibilities of the disorder.  He said scientists found a fungi called Nocema Ceranae that could be to blame, while others speculate CCD is the result of new forms of systemic pesticides that circulate through plant tissues. Still scientists study stress or nutritional problems related to bee shipment, during which they are fed pollen substitutes and artificial sugar syrups.

Houseman said about eight weeks ago scientists had a breakthrough in a possible CCD determinate.

“They found multiple viruses causing malfunctioning ribosomes, which shut down protein synthesis (meaning their bodies can no longer produce enzymes or proteins) making their immune system more susceptible to things like pesticides, fungi, and stress,” Houseman said.

Houseman imagines there is a potential fix for CCD involving strategies to manage the disorder and minimize risk of infection.

“Honey bees will survive the disorder,” Houseman said. “My main concern is for beekeepers and the industry”

Beekeepers spend a lot of time and money to manage their bees and it’s hard to recover from lost hives.

“If anything good has come out of Colony Collapse Disorder, it’s the generated interest and raised awareness in beekeeping and honey bees, the unsung heroes of pollination,” Houseman said.

An excellent way to support beekeepers is to buy local honey and consider starting your own hive, said Vera Gelder.

For more information visit these Web sites—
• Walk-About Acres: www.walk-aboutacres.net
• Columbia Farmer’s Market: www.columbiafarmersmarket.org
• U.S. Department of Agriculture:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=15572

More than 2,500 students visited Walk-About Acres last year. And when they visit, Vera Gelder makes them treats, such as this recipe:

Gelder Honey Treats
Combine in a bowl:
½ cup Walk-About Acres honey
½ cup peanut butter
1 cup dry milk
1 cup uncooked rolled oats

Mix by hand. Shape into balls. Experiment by adding raisins, coconut, nuts, dried fruit, mini chocolate chips, etc. The combination of powdered milk and peanut butter makes this a protein treat.

{back to homepage}