May 31, 2023

Optimist Club guest speaker a Beekeeper

Posted May 31, 2023 5:39 PM
Doug Vogelsang
Doug Vogelsang

Doug Vogelsang shared some of his experiences working with bees at the JC Breakfast Optimist Club’s “Celebration of Optimism” on May 31 at the Hampton Inn in Junction City.

He stated that there are “three types of bees. They include the Queen, drones, and worker bees. Within the worker bees there are scouts, nurses, morticians, and others. Bees have three simple eyes, four wings and one stinger. After a bee uses its stinger to protect the Queen, the hive or itself, the bee dies. Queen bees live for three to five years and do not have stingers. A typical hive will have 40,000 to 60,000 bees in a mature hive.

Mr. Vogelsang also told club members that “one-third of our food comes from pollination, which is a major function of bees. A worker bee will make a fraction of a teaspoon of honey during its lifetime.

One gallon of honey weighs about eleven pounds. Honey is usually harvested at the end of July or in August. Bees communicate through odors, so when a beekeeper wants to interrupt their communication, the beekeeper uses smoke or sprays a light mist of sugar syrup at or near the bees todistract them so the honey can be harvested. Raw honey, which is found locally, may be used to counterallergies. Honeybee soap can be used for some skin rashes or irritations.”

Doug has been a beekeeper for 40 years. When honey is available to him, he sells bottles of it at the Farmer’s Market in the JC Naz parking lot on Thursdays. However, he stated “ I may not have enough to sell this year.”