Sunday, May 19th gave a much needed day of rest, even though the weather has slowed us down all week. I, personally, was totally fine with being just as busy as a drone bee (more on that later). Eventually, we all went to visit Mark Tintjer who is a beekeeper. Much like Heath Stolee, Mr. Tintjer’s bee operation is currently a hobby. Both Mr. Stolee and Mr. Tintjer do not subsist solely on the income derived from their farm incomes as both have regular jobs off the farm. Mr. Tintjer showed us his bee operation, how he sets up his hive, and how honey is extracted. This discussion also featured eating drone larvae, tasting different honey varieties, and the nth mention of the Iowa State Fair (Iowa loves its fair).
As with any farm operation, the prevention of pests is a constant theme. I found it interesting that mice were one of the pests in beekeeping. Mice build their nests inside the hives and destroy the honey combs. Heath Stolee also struggles with mice building nests within the tree protectors on his Chestnut trees. They chew the bark from around the young trees when they are bored. Rabbits also pose this threat as they girdle around the tree, taking its life. Mr. Stolee and Mr. Tintjer are not the only types of farmers who have trouble with pests.
Corn farmers have to worry about corn borers who eat the planted corn seed before it has a chance to grow. This is why farmers like Kevin Butt use treated corn seeds. And if farmers aren’t using treated seeds, they are probably spraying pesticides. Pesticide use and its drift have been detrimental to Mr. Tintjer’s bee population in the past, wiping out many of his hives.
Who is to blame? A corn farmer is trying to make it financially just like a beekeeper or an organic farmer. Should conventional farmers be regulated on pesticide use for the benefit of their specialty farmer counterparts? It’s a complicated issue that needs a solution that benefits all farmers. I hope that through this trip I can understand this issue more and learn about potential solutions.
After visiting the Mark Tintjer, the beekeeper, we came back to Mr. Stole’s house. As I mentioned earlier we were as busy as bees (drone bees that is). Within the society of bees, drones are pretty lazy. The worker bees do a lot of the work and drones stay within the hive and eat the honey. A hive with a lot of drones is not considered part of a productive hive. So today we were all a busy as a drone bee.
