SLOCUM TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — September is National Honey Month, an annual event that promotes the beekeeping industry across the country.
There’s a buzz in Slocum Township, and not just during September, which is National Honey Month. Harold Keiner started his apiary 13 years ago, a labor of love that grew over the years.
“Four or five years ago, I had as many as sixty colonies back there to work,” explained Keiner, owner of Keiner's Apiary.
Keiner says the season here in NEPA for beekeeping runs from April to some time in October, and then he helps the bees get ready for winter.
“Make sure they have enough food. We put extra in, either you could use dry sugar, I use fondant, but I’ve sugar cakes also,” said Keiner.
Jerry Seinfeld coming back to the F.M. Kirby Center
To get from the hum of the hives to the taste of fresh honey, it all comes from the frames.
“Cut the cappings off, we put them in the extractor, the extractor is like a centrifuge. It spins the frames,” explained Keiner.
Then he pours it into jars to sell at local markets across the area.
Keiner’s Apiary is a beekeeping buzz-ness of the heart. He said he enjoys sharing it with others, even taking part in "Bee Bootcamp", helping veterans struggling with ptsd or re-acclimating into society.
“It’s fulfilling as far as keeping bees. When you’re working in the hive, you’re focused on that and you forget about all the nonsense that’s going on in the world,” shared Keiner.
Eating raw honey has many health benefits, such as providing your body with antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties, and could even help with seasonal allergies.
