MAKING A BEELINE FOR HONEYLAND CANADA
Pitt Meadows, British Columbia
by Susie Lee
Honeybees visit about two million flowers to make one pound of honey.
They are the only insects that produce food for humans. Remarkably, approximately
one half of our human diet is derived directly or indirectly from crops
pollinated by bees. These are just a few interesting facts you’ll
learn when you visit Honeyland Canada in Pitt Meadows, British Columbia.
Honeyland is both a commercial beekeeping operation with over 1000 hives, and an award-winning tourist attraction where visitors can learn about honeybees through guided and self guided tours, workshops and beekeeping courses.
During my visit, I had the honour of getting a private tour from Dr. Bee himself, Dr. Ron Lin, the founder and president of Honeyland Canada which he established in 1994. Today, he is a master beekeeper with a PhD in Entomology and Apiculture from Simon Fraser University. In 2003, Dr. Lin started offering public tours of Honeyland because of his passion and knowledge to educate the public on the importance of honeybees in agriculture. His objective, "To help discover the marvelous world of honey bees!”
To remove the stigma that bees are dangerous, Dr. Lin does a jaw-dropping bee beard demonstration each year at Honeyland’s Bees and Blueberry Festival (usually held in the summer months). As featured on West Coast Adventures, this is truly an amazing site and it is even more spectacular to see it live in person. Check the Honeyland Canada website listed below to find out the date for the next festival.
TAPPING INTO THE SOURCE
One
of the highlights of my visit was when I got to open and see the inside
of a hive with Dr. Lin. Each hive contains approximately fifty thousand
bees which produces forty to eighty pounds of honey per hive. I was eager
to see inside the beehive so I geared up in my bee suit for protection.
I was now ready to be surrounded by thousands of bees as I stood fearlessly
in my outfit. Although I have to admit, I did feel a little sheepish afterwards
when I found out that Dr. Bee doesn't wear one.
I held a lit smoker as my second defense as we prepared to open the hive. Smoke calms the bees and is usually used when opening a hive. As I frantically smoked the area, Dr. Bee gently opened the hive and the buzzing noise escalated as the bees swarmed out of the hive. It was surreal to be surrounded by so many bees! My favorite part was when I got to see the pupae wiggling and breaking through the sealed wax cap of a honeycomb! I was witnessing new life being born right before my eyes!
Here are some fascinating bee facts I learned at Honeyland Canada:
QUEEN BEE
The Queen Bee's role is to lay eggs. She will mate with several drones and remains fertile her whole life. She will lay one egg per minute, a total of two thousand eggs over a twenty-four hour period and two hundred thousand eggs in a year! She could live up to four to five years.
WORKER BEES
The worker bee’s role is to tend to the larvae, young drones, and the queen. They also construct the comb, clean and repair the hive, and gather nectar and pollen. The worker bees are all females but they are unable to reproduce. I was quite amazed to learn that worker bees do not sleep. I guess that's where we get the term, busy as a bee! The combination of hard work and no sleep brings their life expectancy to about four to six weeks!
DRONES
The role of the drone (also known as the King Bee) is to mate with the queen. Interestingly enough, the male drone will die shortly after he mates in mid air with the queen. The drones are generally much larger than the worker bees. They have big prominent eyes but they do not have a stinger. Drones live between four to six weeks.
FINAL THOUGHTS
After spending the day at Honeyland, I have a new found fondness in my heart for the honeybees. They are industrious workers that are integral to our ecosystem. So next time you see a bee, don't be alarmed but “bee” thankful for the role they play in our world.
BEE TIP
To avoid getting stung, the next time a bee buzzes around you, remain calm and still instead of trying to wave them away with your hands. Remember bees die when they sting you so they will only sting you as a last resort when they feel that their life is threatened.
Call Honeyland to arrange for your guided bee tour and learn about workshops and educational programs the facility has to offer.
FUN FACTS
- Bees have five eyes.
- Bees fly about twenty miles per hour.
- Bees have been here around thirty million years!
- The average bee makes about 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime.
- A hexagonal tube is the most efficient shape to store their honey. It uses less wax than any other shape but stores the same amount of liquid.
CONTACT:
Honeyland Canada
17617 Ford Road, Pitt Meadows, B.C.
Tel: (604) 460-8889
Toll-free: 1-877-460-8889
www.honeylandcanada.com
+ Part 1: WIDGEON CREEK CANOEING &
HIKING
+ Part 2: MAKING A BEELINE FOR HONEYLAND
+ Part 3: SKYDIVING WITH PACIFIC SKYDIVERS
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