Local Statesboro – Bulloch County Honey

Good morning and happy Friday! Even though Monday was a holiday this has still been a long, busy week. We had a visit from Elsa this week — hurricane, tropical storm — whatever the storm was classified as when it visited this area. We got almost 3 inches of rain and some wind, but not bad.

This week’s episode of The Jason Durden Show is out and available on the site or your fave podcast app. This week I speak with Jennifer Kimbrell. Jennifer and her husband, Curtis, own Humble Bumble Bee Farm in Statesboro, Georgia. You can check them out on Facebook and Instagram. They are local apiarists who raise bees and harvest and sell local, raw honey. And it’s good…I have some in my kitchen cabinet.

Bees are so interesting. They fly around, collect nectar from flowing plants and, in the process, spread the pollen that is needed to grow things. And it isn’t just your flower garden they’re helping make look nice, but also is necessary in many of the fruits and vegetable we eat on a daily basis. In other words, bees (and other pollinators) are vital to our food supply chain. The UDSA, as of June 2020, estimates there are 2.8 million honey bee hives in the US. That number is down from 5 million in the 1940s. There are a variety of reasons why the bee population has dwindled over the years. Check out those two linked articles for some great information. Also, there are a few different groups dedicated to making sure the honey bee survives and thrives. Google them if you’re interested.

I can attest to what can happen if no bees are around. I planted a small kitchen garden this year and one of the vegetables I was excited about growing was yellow squash, also known as  summer squash. They are one of the plants that do not self-pollinate and, instead, are reliant on bees to transfer pollen from the male flower to the female flower, thus making squash. My squash crop was a complete failure. I literally got 1 squash off the plants, which themselves were huge and healthy. I attribute my lack of squash on the lack of bees. I have not seen a single honey bee flying around this summer. 

There are many people who swear local, raw honey helps with their seasonal allergies. I am one of those people. As I have gotten older the effect on me of seasonal allergies has gotten worse. Since I had always heard people talk about local honey for allergies, I tracked some down in Atlanta. I’m definitely no scientist or doctor, but I can tell you that it worked for me, I won’t say it cleared up my allergies completely, but it sure did help. In the episode, Jennifer, who is also not a doctor or scientist, talks about why local honey may help with allergies.

There is a lot that goes into beekeeping. I didn’t realize the care and time it takes to have a successful apiary. Even so, Jennifer jokingly warns beekeeping can become an addiction.

I found the conversation with Jennifer very informative and entertaining and I hope you do as well. It is out now and available on The Jason Durden Show site or on your preferred podcast platform.

And remember – Save The Bees!