PEORIA MAGAZINE May 2022

S E E D A N D S O I L

THE BUSINESS OF BEES

BY PAM TOMKA PHOTOS BY RON JOHNSON

S ixteen ounces of honey require 1,152 bees to travel 112,000miles to visit 4.5 million flowers. About one-third of the food eaten in the U.S. comes from insect pollinated plants. Honey bees are responsible for 80 percent of that pollination, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These amazing creatures also are the only insects that produce food eaten byman. With an average life span of just 42 days, the honey bee can accomplish a great deal in a very short time. Luke Harvey, of Chillicothe, has been exploring the honey bee world for about nine years. “I was stung with curiosity while visiting a friend who was keeping bees,” he recalled of his start. “Not knowing anything about them, I stood directly

and generally more about these busy little insects.” His research left him “hooked. I startedwith two hives and never looked back.” Currently, Harvey has about 40 hives. Because of the connection he’s developed with them, “I ammore aware of what is happening in nature around me,” said Harvey. “It makes me better appreciate the change in seasons in Illinois and how beautiful the world we live in can be.” Just like the weather, there are four seasons for a beekeeper. Winter is for gathering information and getting equipment ready. As a hobbyist, this is the ideal time to start your preparations. Spring is busy making certain the bees have enough

in front of the hive, in their f light path, which is the worst place …While standing there, a bee flew out of the hive and stung me in the neck. After nursing my wounded ego, I wanted to knowmore about how a bee knew I was standing out there, why they stung me,

12 MAY 2022 P EORIA MAGAZINE