Heading to Nursebees Apiary

This past December, Stephen and I bought a quart of some of the most delicious local honey that we had every tasted. Beth Miller was selling her wares at a holiday show held at the Greenville Convention Center when we met her and chatted with her about the hives that she and her husband, Joe, have on their small farm in Bethel. Both Beth and Joe work full time as nurses...thus the name of their honey business, Nursebees, was hatched! After buying our first quart, Beth mentioned that we could buy more from them if we called their home. Our honey jar "went dry" last weekend when I made our favorite Four Seed Buttermilk Bread, so I gave the Millers a call. Much to our delight, they called back to tell us that Sunday, June 3 was the date of an Open House at their apiary in Bethel. We didn't know what we would find, but all three of us couldn't wait to get there.

As we cruised into the drive, a small farmhouse with a tin roof sat before us surrounded with stacks of multicolored hives. What we encountered after walking inside was even more unexpected. After learning more about bees than we bargained for from Joe, Beth, and a bevy of local bee experts, we were assured that bees had little inclination to sting people unless they invaded their hives or tried to harm them. Joe put these words to the ultimate test as he walked onto his large screened back porch containing hundreds of bees, most of which were swarmed in corners of the porch. If we wanted to see how he extracted honey from the plastic frames that fit inside his hives, we would have to follow him out. He placed his hand between two swarms, showing us that the bees were calm and that we needn't be afraid. Our curiosity getting the best of us...we all three went through the door and onto the porch!