Beekeeper shares his sweet success
The Bee Guy Jerry Jerrard now has 500 established hives and millions of bees spread out across the Kawartha Lakes
BOBCAYGEON —Jerry Jerrard’s bees give a whole new meaning to “you are what you eat.”
Jerrard began his beekeeping passion more than 20 years ago, when he learned a co-worker was selling his father’s hives.
Not wanting to work in a factory the rest of his life, Jerrard started with five hives, and he hasn’t looked back.
“I thought it was an excellent idea. It was way more fun than my other job,” said Jerrard, a member, and past-president, of the Central Ontario Beekeepers’ Association.
After that first “building” year, Jerrard bought 100 more starter nucleus hives. He now has 500 established hives, containing millions of bees, spread out among several locations throughout the Kawartha Lakes, including, rather appropriately, his Colony Road home. He uses these hives to create more nucleus hives.
Some people think honey is honey, but one look on the shelves of Jerrard’s Honey House proves not all honey is, literally, created equally. There are different colours, flavours and crystallization properties, but it all comes down to what the bees are, figuratively, eating.
“Bees will only go to the flowers that are in bloom at the time they are gathering nectar,” said Jerrard. “In the spring, that’s dandelions. In the fall, it’s goldenrod and asters. And all the other flowers that bloom in succession give different flavours .... And the darker the colour, the richer the flavour.”
Bees will sometimes blend nectar, creating an impossibly duplicated product that is simply called wildflower honey.
“Bees go to where the flowers bloom. We can’t control where they go or what they forage on,” said Jerrard.
The problem is he has no way of knowing who is doing what on their property. The use of pesticides continues to have a negative impact on bee populations, including Jerrard’s.
“Pesticides are just as much of a problem today as they have been in the past,” said Jerrard.
Recently, a federal court ruling has allowed a lawsuit asking that Health Canada revoke permits for two of the country’s most commonly used pesticides — neonicotinoids insecticides (neonics) — that research has linked to plummeting bee populations in recent years.
According to the Canadian Honey Council, Canadian beekeepers lost an average of about 25 per cent of their colonies in 2013-14. Losses in Ontario were more than double. This is significant, considering a third of consumable crops rely on insect pollination.
But the impact isn’t just on bees, which also have to deal with disease, parasites and habitat destruction. Scientists from the International Union for Conservation of Nature have also reported that neonics are also fatal to frogs, birds, fish and earthworms. Updated measures to protect pollinators should be out later this year, and new restrictions banning neonics from being sprayed on orchards and turf sites — and reducing use on vegetables — have been proposed.
Another factor impacting bees is a simple case of human nature.
While a well-manicured lawn looks great, it’s a veritable wasteland for bees.
“I don’t understand people’s obsession with dandelions. They’re only there for two weeks, and it’s the first food source after a long, hard winter,” he said.
Anyone interested in stopping by to see what Jerrard has been up to is asked to call 705-738-5374 in advance.For more information on beekeeping, visit CentralOntarioBeekeepers.ca.