USPS Publication Number 16300
T h i s C om mu n it y Ne w s p a p e r i s a p u bl i c a t ion of E s c a m b i a-S a nt a Ro s a B a r A s s o c i a t ion
Se r v i ng t he Fi r st Jud icia l Ci rcu it Section A, Page 1
Vol. 21, No. 11
V isit T he S ummation W eekly O nline : SummationWeekly.com
March 17, 2021
1 Section, 8 Pages
H ONEY, BEEKEEPER S A R E I N PEN S ACO L A by Gina Castro
Although bees appear small and somewhat insignificant, they are the main insect pollinators. Bees pollinate approximately 130 agricultural crops in the US and add about $14 billion annually to improved crop yield and quality. Interestingly, the Gulf Coast is home to a rare species of bees called Hesperapis Oraria also known as the Gulf Coast Solitary Bee. This bee was discovered in 1993 and is known to exist only in the sandy dunes along the Gulf of Mexico, where it feeds on only Coastal Plain honeycombhead. There is much more to discover about the Gulf Coast Solitary Bee, but because this region constantly has something in bloom, the Gulf Coast is an exceptional location for bees. The area’s mild winters allow for plants like Coastal Plain honeycombhead to bloom all year through, which, in turns, supplies food for bees throughout the year. Florida is the fifth leading honey-producing state. Pesticides, diseases, pests and loss of habitat are just some of the issues facing bees today. Beekeepers actually help bees grapple with these issues. Pensacola has dozens of beekeepers and even more are spread throughout Escambia County. Pensacola Magazine spoke with a few professional beekeepers in the area about what motivated them to care for bees. Little Green Bees
For as long as Becca Fritschle can remember, she’s had a sweet spot for bugs. So, when she received a message from God to start beekeeping in 2011, she happily took the challenge head on. “I felt like God spoke to me to get honey bees. That is the true story. I didn’t know anything about keeping bees. I didn’t know anything about bees, but I’d loved bugs since I was a kid,” Fristschle said. “So I decided that the best thing to do was speak to other beekeepers in the area and see how to get bees.” After some mentorship from local beekeepers, a few rookie mistakes and a stroke of luck on Craigslist, Fristschle had all the necessary knowledge and equipment to launch Little Green Bees. For the past decade, Fristschle and her husband, James, have been growing their company Little Green Bees. They have more than 30 hives in
their backyard and in other areas southwest of Pensacola. Aside from wildflower honey, they also have seasonal products, salves, balms, chocolates and other products produced by their hives. Fristschle’s years of experience as a beekeeper and bumps along the road made her an excellent mentor for beekeepers in the area. She runs the Gulf Coast Beekeeping School. Fristschle only teaches about beekeeping in the Gulf Coast region because beekeeping differs depending on the climate. Fristschle explained that she teaches her students about the beekeeping certification process, how to find equipment at an affordable price and the expenses of beekeeping among other topics. Since beekeeping is costly, Fristschle also teaches others how to catch wild swarms of bees. “Catching swarms is the only way to get free bees,” Fristschle explained. “You just dig through the pile of bees with your hands until you find the queen, and you put her in a little cage. Once you have the queen captured, the rest of the colony will follow. I have stood in the back of a truck on a ladder with a bucket on a pole trying to catch bees. So it varies between safe and stupid.” The cost of beekeeping isn’t the only thing that stings. The bees do, too. Fristschle admitted her bees sting her daily if
not more, but she doesn’t think it’s a bad thing. “I consider it therapy at this point being stung. Bee venom is anti-inflammatory propolis. I use it as an immune support,” Fristschle said. “I have a thyroid condition, and it seems like the bees just go straight for my neck.” Bee venom has been used medicinally dating back to ancient Egypt. Hippocrates, known as the father of medicine, used the venom to treat joint pain and arthritis. In fact, there is anecdotal evidence that bee venom may prevent or lessen the symptoms of COVID. A 2020 survey from Hubei Province found that of the nearly 6,000 beekeepers surveyed, none of them contracted COVID in the densely populated epicenter of the outbreak. Before you rush out to get stung, though, remember further studies are needed to determine the efficacy of this holistic approach. Honey and venom aren’t the only other health benefits of bees. Fristschle said the sound of bees can also serve a medical purpose. If you believe there is any merit to sound therapy or sound bath meditation, you might find healing in the steady hum of bees busy at work. Countries in Eastern Europe have created healing spaces that enable people to smell the hives of the bees and hear the bees swarming around them all while being in an enclosed space away from the bees.
“Bees vibrate at a certain frequency. They emit pheromones, and the honey and wax have certain fragrances. Whether or not you put any stock in sound healing or frequencies or anything like that, the bees heal themselves that way,” Fristschle said. “If you have two colonies, a healthy colony and a sick colony, they vibrate at a different frequency. Researchers have taken recordings of a healthy colony and have piped it into a sick colony. The sound alone marked improvement in the health of the sick colony.” Fristschle also went on to say how the sound of the bees benefits her. “I have taken so many naps in front of my beehives. I find it therapeutic,” Fristschle said. “The fragrance in the summertime of a healthy bee colony is like nothing else.”
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To learn more about Green Little Bees’ products or classes, visit littlegreenbees.com or follow them on Facebook @ LittleGreenBee. East Hill Honey Co.
Today, you can find East Hill Honey all over Pensacola— from grocery stores, to retail shops to restaurants, but East Hill Honey’s road to success didn’t start out big. In 2011, Thomas “Tommy” Van Horn, the founder, started out with just two bee hives in his backyard. Before he knew it, Van Horn had more honey than he knew what to do with. Van Horn began giving the surplus honey as gifts to friends and family. Eventually, he started delivering honey to his neighbors by bicycle. Continued on Page 3 ›
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