WMAZ 13 TV Macon Georgia Rain Keeps Bees From Pollinating Crops Story,Television News Report on Honeybees Honey Bee Beehive Health

Rain Keeps Bees From Pollinating Crops

Submitted by 13WMAZ Web Staff

Monday, July 29th, 2013, 7:27pm

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Rain Keeps Bees From Pollinating Crops

Submitted by 13WMAZ Web Staff

Monday, July 29th, 2013, 7:27pm

"When it rains, they basically sit in the hive and mope around," says beekeeper John Pluta of Milledgeville.

Bees don't fly in wet weather which about all that we've seen this summer. It's so bad, Pluta "basically forgot what a normal honey year is anymore."

A bee hive collects about 100-pounds of honey a year. Pluta has only averaged about a third of that.

Because there's been so much rain, the bees are starving so Pluta started feeding them sugar water.

"We're basically buying 3,000-pounds of sugar a month right now," he says.

When bees aren't collecting nectar, bees eat some of of their stored food. The little honey Pluta collects, he sells at a higher price. 

"And when they did get a chance to fly, a lot of the flowers, a lot of the pollen and nectar have been washed out of the flower already," he says.

That's slowing down the pollination of crops around Georgia. Despite the range of problems, Pluta's main concern is keeping his 600-thousand bees alive. 

One hive box contains anywhere from 10,000 to 50,000 bees.

REPORTER JUDY LE

Judy Le WMAZ Channel 13 TV Reporter Macon Georgia Television Station 
at John Pluta Georgia Bees Honeybee Apiary News Story Filming

Judy Le Bee Suit WMAZ Channel 13 TV Reporter Macon Georgia Television Station 
at John Pluta Georgia Bees Honeybee Apiary News Story Filming  

Judy Le Filming WMAZ Channel 13 TV Reporter Macon Georgia Television Station 

at John Pluta Georgia Bees Honeybee Apiary News Story

My Bee Pollen story in book Robbing the Bees by Kelley Bishop

CLICK PICTURE to enlarge and read

A funny story about eating too much of my Bee pollen at once.

Robbing the Bees by Kelley Bishop

TV FOX 24, ABC 16 Macon Georgia Honeybee reporters Tyler Southard and Michelle Quesada Honey bees Beekeeping news segment on Milledgeville Georgia Beekeeper John Pluta

TV FOX 24, ABC 16 Macon Georgia Honeybee reporters Tyler Southard and Michelle Quesada

Honey bees Beekeeping news segment on Milledgeville Georgia Beekeeper John Pluta

TV STATION Reporters
Fox 24 
ABC 16
Macon Georgia

The World Around Us: Inside the Life of the Honey Bee by Tyler Southard, Macon Georgia , TV24 Reporter

The World Around Us: Inside the Life of the Honey Bee

Tyler Southard, TV24 Reporter Macon Georgia

Story Created: Jun 15, 2010 at 4:56 PM CDT
Story Updated: Jun 15, 2010 at 5:09 PM CDT

It’s a hot summer day and this colony of bees are providing southern air conditioning to their hive. These bees are making honey, and for beekeeper John Pluta of Milledgeville, it’s a cash crop.

“I basically have the sweetest job in Georgia" says Pluta as he samples honey straight from the hive.

John doesn’t wear the traditional astronaut like suit when working but instead relies on smoking out the colonies which masks pheromones that are released when dangers is around, and it’s time to sting.

“I tell them every morning not to sting me" says Pluta.

Bees are a somewhat feared and misunderstood creature but serve a very important role in nature as a means for cross pollination of flowers, trees, and crops with a very delicious result.

A beehive can contain up to thirty thousand bees which are moved around to different crops throughout the year producing up to three to four different varieties of honey throughout the year.

This industrious insect also produces propolis resin from sap and other botanical sources that they use to seal off the hive. This resin is also used by humans for medicinal purposes. Beeswax, the framing structure of the honey comb, also has a number of uses from cosmetics to candles.

Pollen that becomes wet and damaged in the hive can no longer be used for honey but instead serves as a protein rich food sources for baby bees and is also popular among athletes and vegetarians.

After about 4 weeks of work, the honey combs are full.

“All this honey right here is still really clear and is making what we call light honey and this darker honey is what we classify as wildflower" says Pluta as he describes the coloration of a honey comb frame.

At this time, John fires up a special machine which uses centripetal force to extract the raw honey.

“We bee making honey" exclaims Pluta as he pours a fresh jar of sweet honey. 

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