E AT & D R I N K
TABLE TALK
Sweet as Honey
September is National Honey Month, so we’re chatting with two local beekeepers to learn all the sticky details about this nutritious nectar. Written by CHRISTIE GALEANO-DEMOTT
NICK BOFILL
FILTERED OR UNFILTERED HONEY?
The Miami native has been a beekeeper for nearly a decade. His company, The Native Guy, specializes in beekeeping, honeybee education, and hive removal in the tri-county region. He also sells his honey and other products sourced from his Nick hives, which are located Bofill throughout the state. thenativeguy.com WHY DO YOU LOVE BEES?
Being in front of a beehive—as corny as it sounds—is so majestic and beautiful. To this day, I still can’t explain what their energy does when you’re near them. WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF HONEY?
In Florida, we have a wide variety of honey, including orange blossom honey, wildflower honey, saw palmetto honey, mangrove honey, and exotic tropical honey like mango and lychee. BESIDES HONEY, WHAT ELSE DOES A HIVE PRODUCE?
Propolis is a resin-like substance the bees create from tree sap that can be used as an antimicrobial to clean wounds. Royal jelly is what they make to feed the queen, and it’s great for anti-aging. Forget the Botox! Beeswax is excellent in candles, because it’s a natural air purifier. I also created an environmentally friendly, reusable food cover from it that can be used to preserve food instead of cellophane or aluminum foil.
The filtration process is important. You don’t want extra“friends” in your honey. WHAT ABOUT ORGANIC HONEY?
Organic honey doesn’t exist. You can’t have a hive with thousands of bees and have them on a leash. There’s no control. They will go to any flower they’re attracted to, and in the process, they could land on asphalt, gasoline or chlorine. Unless you live on a mountain in Washington, then maybe. But from what I’ve seen, that’s just a cute word they put on bottles.
HOW DOES THE RESORT USE THE HONEY?
Restaurants and bars take full advantage of it by showcasing it in signature cocktails and special dishes like Honeybelle’s hot honey for its pizza and fried chicken and The Butcher’s Club’s honey butter. Sierra Malnove
WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE FOR NOVICE BEEKEEPERS?
Attend Bee College at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Just like there’s a right way of becoming a lawyer or a doctor, it’s the same idea. Learn the laws and the proper practices for becoming a beekeeper. And remember, it’s illegal in Florida to relocate a beehive unless you’re a registered beekeeper. WHAT’S A FUN FACT YOU CAN SHARE?
It’s been estimated that as much as one-third of the world’s food production is directly tied to the pollination habits of honeybees and other pollinators like butterflies and bats.
SIERRA MALNOVE
Malnove is PGA National Resort’s resident beekeeper. The hotel is the only one in Palm Beach County that keeps bees and harvests honey as part of its sustainability initiatives. She also hosts a hands-on beekeeping experience for guests and members. Malnove started keeping bees for Broken Sound Club 10 years ago, and now, through her company Sierra’s Bees, she manages hives for more than 30 country clubs in the area. She also co-founded Palm Beach Creamed Honey in 2020. pgaresort. com, sierrasbees.com, creamedhoney.com WHY DO YOU THINK THE HOTEL WANTED TO KEEP BEES?
It’s a beautiful property that makes you feel like you’re in paradise. That visual display they’re giving their resort guests and members is a buffet for pollinators. So keeping bees brings the experience full circle. Now, it’s
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not only beauty we can see, but we also have something we can taste.
HOW DOES KEEPING BEES HELP THE ECOSYSTEM ON A LARGER SCALE?
We work with gentle Italian honeybees, so when they mate with local bees, that injection of genetics helps make the wild colonies nicer and less aggressive. WHY AREN’T MORE HOTELS KEEPING BEES?
It’s not very expensive or time-consuming. I manage the program, but it is a commitment. They must be invested in it before I come in with the program. Bees will sting and defend the colony if needed, so great care must be taken to keep bees where there are people. My top priority as a beekeeper is to give everyone a good experience—whether that’s up close, like the beekeeping experience, or just through the honey for guests and members.
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