Larry Griffin
lgriffin@thesmokymountaintimes.com
Smoky Mountain Beekeepers Association president Fred Crawford currently has three beehives on the 13-acre farm where he lives in Whittier, which he hopes will produce fruitful bounties of honey and wax as the weather warms.
Crawford, a retiree from Austin, Texas, has held the role of beekeepers association president for about five years now. The beekeepers association meets once a month and Crawford says they talk about beekeeping methods and news, sharing ideas and opinions. New beekeepers get mentoring from more experienced ones, and they build a community around the process.
“We help new beekeepers with what equipment to buy, where to get bees, and how to install everything,” Crawford said.
Crawford said the club’s members had fallen since the pandemic, but they were always open and welcoming to those who wanted to join.
“Backyard beekeepers play an important role in keeping the bee population up,” he said.
The Colony Collapse Disorder phenomenon, referring to when most worker bees in a colony abandon the hive, was happening frequently in the early 2000s, due to a number of factors like disease, mismanaged transportation and more. Crawford said that has since cooled down. The main danger bees face right now, according to him, is the use of pesticides that kill bees.
On Thursday, his dog ran about without a leash. Crawford said the dog “keeps the critters at bay.”
Crawford observed the bees were relatively quiet - something of an anomaly, given the overcast, stormy weather that afternoon.
“Usually when it’s overcast, the bees get persnickety,” he said. “They’re more defensive of their hive.”
The three hives he has right now could grow in number as the bees split off into new colonies.
“Two of the hives are really strong,” Crawford said. “The other is pretty strong. I think these will reproduce, we could get six or seven hives out of these three. That’s my hope.”
Crawford moved out to the mountains to retire to the farm and said he’d only started having an interest in bees when he got here.
“I had chickens, a vegetable garden, bees fit right in,” he said. Asked why he chose to go that route; his answer was simple: “I like honey.”
But there was more to it, he said he’s gotten an appreciation for “understanding the biology of bees” and working with their natural rhythm.
He described the annual work that goes into beekeeping: the job varies by the season, and as of early February, he was mostly just getting ready for the springtime. He waits for things to start blooming to be food sources for the bees - he pointed to a red maple above the hives that was just starting that process.
Then the rest of the process is just managing the swarm so as not to lose any bees while they reproduce and split off into new colonies.
And at the end of it all, he is left with honey along with wax he can use for candles. By June or July, he said the honey will be ready to be collected from the hives.
“As a beekeeper, you have to pay attention to the natural environment,” he said. “You have to understand what’s about to bloom, and what’s about to be in bloom. The honeybee is a fascinating animal. Everyone thinks the queen bee decides things for the whole hive, when to eat, swarm and reproduce. But the hive decides together.”
The February meeting of the club featured a representative with the USDA Farm Service agency to talk about support for bee keeping operations. According to Crawford, bees count as livestock, so they fall under that purview.
The overall demeanor of the club is one they try to keep positive, according to Crawford.
“It’s very supportive,” he said. “We support each other, sharing ideas and research. We help out if someone needs it. We have more experienced folks along with newer folks.”
On Saturday, Feb. 18 at 1 p.m., Crawford will also be delivering a speech at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Titled “The Wondrous Honey Bee,” it will focus on the lives of bees, how to attract bees to one’s garden and beekeeping as a hobby.