An interest in something that becomes a hobby or even a career can be piqued in many different ways. For Kelly O'Connor it was a comment made by a patient. O'Connor is an exercise therapist in cardiac rehabilitation for the ProMedica System.
A patient asked her what she did over the weekend. When she told him she planted a number of fruit trees he advised her to also get some bees for a better fruit crop. That statement prompted her to research beekeeping. It sounded interesting. She purchased three hives and thought she was on her way. That was in the fall of 2013.
By the next spring all the bees were dead. However, O'Connor was undeterred. She purchased additional hives and joined Maumee Valley Beekeeper's Club. From there she learned and improved.
She became adept at making splits, which is dividing hives. She learned how to check for mites and get rid of them before they cause problems.
She also learned much about the habits of bees. O'Connor said they keep their hive quite clean. Bees do not mess inside the hive. They wait for a warm day in winter to go out and relieve themselves. She said this is most noticeable if there is snow on the ground. They keep warm by clustering together inside the hive.
She also learned about flowers. Her honey tastes different depending on what flowers are in bloom. The bees go where they want. She said when they are released they seem to go in many different directions.
O'Connor has hives in three different locations. She checks on them and collects honey about every two weeks.
This can be a very time-consuming enterprise. There is the collection of honey that is then filtered and stored. She collects the honey into 45-gallon drums. Later the honey is jarred in 8 ounce, 16 ounce and 32 ounce containers. This is "Kelly's Pure Country Honey." It is filtered but not pasteurized. Because it is not super filtered there is still pollen in the honey.
These are sold at farmers markets, Bench's Greenhouse and Elmore General Store in Elmore, Creek Bend Farms in Lindsey and Bayou Creek Farmstead in Oak Harbor.
O'Connor also makes lip balm using her beeswax. She also has a page on Facebook. She can be reached at 419-261-3814.
In addition to the bees, her family also raises Red Angus cattle and has chickens. "That's enough," O'Connor said.
Happily her fruit trees are also producing quality fruit.
Linda Hartigan writes about the Oak Harbor community. Call her at 419-898-1645.
"fruit" - Google News
September 17, 2020 at 05:00PM
https://ift.tt/2HdfMah
Talk About Oak Harbor: Fruit trees bloomed into sweet hobby - Fremont News Messenger
"fruit" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2pWUrc9
https://ift.tt/3aVawBg
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Talk About Oak Harbor: Fruit trees bloomed into sweet hobby - Fremont News Messenger"
Post a Comment