The Honeybee Jamboree Buzz

On Saturday, the Back Yard Beekeepers Association (BYBA) held their Honeybee Jamboree at Ambler Farm, which buzzed with families in attendance, there to learn all about these magnificent creates and what they do for us.

“We like to educate about bees as much as we can,” said BYBA President Marina Marchese.

Honeybees are vital to human existence because without their diligent pollination humans would'nt have much food to eat. Even meats, such as those acquired from cattle, wouldn’t be available because bees pollinate the vegetation that cattle eat for their subsistence and existence.

This was the first year that the BYBA held their annual Honeybee Jamboree at Ambler Farm. The popular beekeepers group boasts over 250 and is focused on educating both budding beekeepers and the general public.

“We have programs like this one all year long,” said Marchese.

For a suggested $10 donation. which supports the Ambler Farm Honey Bee Program, visitors participated in honey tasting, honey extraction and honey ice cream-making. 

Visitors to the farm were also treated to a viewing of hive inspections, which beekeepers perform on a regular basis throughout the warmer months and once again in the fall before the bees hunker down in their hives for the winter. Bee season is considered to be from April until October.

Honeybees slow down once the cooler temperatures arrive. They stay in the hive during the winter, keeping themselves warm with their body heat and emerging for a few hours on warmer days throughout the winter season.

“What we are doing is checking the hive to make sure things are ok in there,” explained Marchese. “This time of year we specifically want to make sure that they have enough honey for the winter.”

The beekeepers don’t like to interfere with the natural process that goes on in the hive, but Marchese said they do whatever they can to help the bees along.

For more information on becoming a Back Yard Beekeeper, visit the association’s website.

And if you want to make your own honey ice cream, fret not;l there's no machine required and it only takes five minutes. To give it a try at home, all you need is a few common ingredients and a slightly modified recipe from Kaboose.com:

2 tablespoons of honey in its liquid form (the original recipe called for 1 tablespoon of sugar and ¼ teaspoon of vanilla, but the BYBA modified it for use with honey)

½ cup of milk

6 tablespoons of kosher or rock salt

1 pint-size plastic food storage bag

1 gallon-size plastic food storage bag

Ice cubes

Fill the bigger of the two bags half full of ice, add the salt and then seal the bag.

In the small bag combine the milk and honey. Seal the bag.

Open up the large bag with the ice and salt and place the small sealed bag inside of the larger one and seal up the large bag again.

Shake the bags together for five minutes or until the mixture becomes ice cream.

Enjoy!