They are educators by day, but when their work is done with students in our schools, they head home to their honey bees.
On this episode of the Supercast, we take you to the backyard of a beekeeper. Find out why Bastian Elementary School Assistant Principal Amber Allen and Kauri Sue Hamilton teacher Alexa Allen have a deep passion for honeybees, overseeing the health of their hive, and honey production.
Audio Transcription
[Music]
Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They are educators by day, but when their work is done with students in our schools, they head home to their honeybees.
On this episode of the Supercast, we take you to the backyard of a beekeeper. Find out why Bastion Elementary School Assistant Principal Amber Allen and her daughter, Kauri Sue Hamilton's school teacher Alexa Allen, have a deep passion for honey bees, overseeing the health of the hive and honey production.
We're here with Amber Allen in her home with her family to talk about beekeeping. Amber, you're an assistant principal at Bastion Elementary.
How much of your time is spent with beekeeping on the side? That's a busy job already.
Well, fun fact, my husband helps me. My daughter, Alexis, she works at Kauri Sue. She's a teacher there. And the rest of our family, we all get together and we will harvest the honey together as a family. Bart and I kind of do the daily, go out and check on them. I talk to my bees. We can talk about that later.
We have to make sure that other pests don't get inside, so we have to protect them. We also have to check on the babies, which is called a brood. That's probably a weekly endeavor that we do.
Well, I'm excited to get into it. Introduce yourselves to the folks listening.
All right, I'm Alexa Allen. I am a teacher at the Kauri Sue Hamilton school, and I teach our secondary and post-high kids.
I'm Bart Allen, I just help these two. I'm Amber's husband and Alexa's father.
Okay, so tell me what got you started with beekeeping in the first place?
I was getting my master's degree at UVU and I read a book about leadership and how a beehive represents leadership. I came home and I said, “Bart, we've got to have bees.”
(laughing) - You wanted the analogy to go further than this.
I wanted to be a part of it, like entrenched in it. He works at the Salt Palace and at the Salt Palace, they have beehives there by the Japanese Botanical Gardens.
Yeah, we keep them in our Japanese Botanical Garden on the third west and first south.
So he's familiar. He knew the right connections. He knew how to get us started. So that's really where this all came from.
How many bees do you have? Do you know is this quantifiable?
In the beginning yes, and I will show you a picture in a few minutes. When a hive comes- there's about 30,000 bees in the hive and it comes in the mail.
About 30,000, but within a few days-
Okay once the queen gets started, the worker bees start having their babies- I can't tell you anymore how many bees are in there. They average about 60,000 is what I've read.
But you started with 30,000.
Wow. Tell me what we have here. We have the pollen chart and it looks like we have several different kinds of honey in front of us. So these are the fruits of their labor and yours, right?
Yes. So this pollen chart, thought since you know I'm a teacher, I needed the visual.
When we go out to the bees, hopefully you'll be able to see the pollen on their back little hind legs. Right now these are the colors that you're gonna see most prevalent is hogweed and dandelion.
So the color of the pollen reflects what plant they got the pollen from?
What is hogweed? I don't know that I've had hogweed in my life very much, but maybe I didn't realize it.
That’s what I said! It's like sage, like sagebrush.
Yeah, which we got a lot of here.
So our different honeys right here. This is from Salt Lake.
Okay and that's a darker-
So you've got Temple Square down there, the Japanese Botanical Gardens, different rooftop gardens than we do here in South Jordan.
So we might see hogweed you said which is more of a kind of a yellow.
I would say yeah like a mustard color.
A mustard, that's a good description of it. And what was the other one that you said? A dandelion.
To me, that's a carnival red.
Yeah, that's kind of almost a peach color, I guess.
You wouldn't expect that from a dandelion.
That orange, 'cause most dandelions are just yellow.
It's really cool, the bees have so much of it on them that the color just pops off their back legs.
I feel like I've never seen that in real life, maybe on TV.
So I'm looking forward to that. So tell me, this is, so there are some really- like this is a teal, Rosebay Willowherb. So if they got ahold of that, there would be some pollen that was teal colored or gray.
What I've learned from Peter, our bee expert that we call for advice, he said a lot of this green and blues up here is more like plants from back East. We don't have a lot of these in Utah. So we might not see these. We could, absolutely. But he said that down here is more the colors.
So more the oranges and the yellows.
Wild bluebell or plantain. I wouldn't think those were, you know, plantains, wild bluebells, same color pollen. That's fascinating. Okay, great. So now, so this, so there are these four different honeys that you have here.
Actually three, this one's just for Doug.
And this one will be yours.
Oh, that's dynamite. I don't normally get swag from a podcast episode. So this darker one in the middle is more from Salt Lake where you have some other sources of pollen that are going to influence the color and I assume the taste of the honey as well.
Yes, so we'll do some taste testing here at the end or we can do it now.
Actually, I'm not gonna tell you. I'm not gonna tell you the difference.
Don't tell me the difference. Let's see if I can detect the different notes in that honey.
I'm gonna let you. So this is from the Allen bees. This came last season. This is this season and just a little bit of difference, even though it's the same neighborhood, same.
So this season's a little darker than last season. What does that tell you about the honey?
That they use different flowers to pollinate.
Just different flowers that they pollinated with.
Maybe like some neighbors planted something new.
So if these had been set out, would you be able to spot, oh yeah, that's ours from this year. Oh yeah, that's ours from last year.
Yeah, you probably get used to kind of the difference in pollen and the way the bees are behaving and you notice things that other people who haven't been involved wouldn't notice.
Yeah, and the flavor is a little bit different. You gotta like really, you know, try to taste the flavor.
You gotta really pay attention.
Yeah, you can get it. You'll figure it out.
You have to be a honey connoisseur.
Yeah, you know how people are like wine connoisseurs you gotta be that honey connoisseur.
This came from a hogweed field.
I'm detecting notes of hogweed. So actually, honey does last forever essentially, right? Doesn't it? I mean--
You might need to warm it up, because it will start to--
I think I read that in the Egyptian tombs, they found honey that was perfectly preserved. Does everyone get honey from you for Christmas?
That's the neighborhood gift, huh?
But I'm sure they look forward to it.
They count on it. They count on it.
We have cute little tiny jars that we can hand out to people.
All right, so this one is from Salt Lake.
See if you can taste what kind of weed in Salt Lake it’s from.
This is the Salt Lake. Okay, well, I'm gonna look at the color chart here and kind of compare. Broccoli? Oh, I hope I don't get notes. (laughing) I hope I don't get notes of broccoli in that. I'd rather have dandelion. Okay, let's see. Oh wow, that does have a distinct flavor.
Can I give you an adjective?
That tastes fantastic. Is it kind of citrusy almost?
Which flower are we talking here? Wild honeysuckle perhaps?
What do you have in the botanical gardens?
They're all Japanese. Actually, we don't have a lot of flowers, we have a lot of greenery and shrubs.
It's definitely not asparagus.
It is not asparagus, it is not broccoli. Thank goodness. That tastes so good. Wow.
It certainly tastes different from regular honey you buy in the store.
It does. It has a great little zing to it, little zip.
Yep, that's exactly a good adjective.
So this is from the Allen bees from Miss Kitty's hive.
That's my queen, Miss Kitty.
Let's give it a shot. Oh wow. That does have a distinct flavor. Of course, I'm going to be terrible at picking out what it is. Oh, Knapweed. Oh no, Hairy Willow Herb. That's it. No, do you know what it is?
No, because it would be a-
Yeah, a mixture of the neighbor's plants.
It's almost like a little tart.
At the end, there's certainly a flavor on wild honeys that is a little bit different than a pasteurized honey. It kind of has an after-flavor to it that is in there.
So you never pasteurize your honey?
And that process probably kills the flavor and kind of - wow.
Yeah, it makes it more watery. The harvested honey like this is usually thicker than pasteurized.
Yeah, it has a great consistency to it. It tastes fantastic. No wonder you work so hard for this. This is really, really good stuff.
So Alexa was gonna show you how- basically once we've taken the honeycomb out- how to harvest it. Do you want her to show you that?
Yeah, let's go check it out.
Okay, so it’s just going to be right over here.
Yeah. So what we have is a big bucket here.
A big honey bucket with like a little spout.
A little spout at the bottom.
A honey spout, cause it's not a regular spout.
Well then you open the spout and then you just sit and you wait forever for the honey to come out of the spout, right?
It's like watching paint dry. Okay. So this is a cheesecloth.
Is it a bag? Is it a bag?
Yeah, it's just a little bag. So we'll put the comb into there and you let the wax will come in here and it just slowly drains.
And you just let the wax slowly drain out?
Yeah, and you have to do it in a warm room.
Because you have to make the consistency of the honey to be faster moving, basically.
You gotta warm it up ‘cause otherwise you're just gonna sit there.
Now how do you pull the honeycomb, how do you harvest the honeycomb out?
We're gonna show you that.
Okay, we're gonna go do that.
Yeah, we're gonna do that.
But last year we used a strainer that just went over the bucket, which is way easier, 'cause then you don't have to sit there and hold it.
And let your arm get tired.
You're not left holding the bag at that point.
And I ripped it at the end of last season, so I had to order a new one.
Yeah, and then yeah, you can also use like tea towels, but we use the cheesecloth or the strainer. And then this--
So this is like a Lowe's or a Home Depot size bucket.
Oh, food grade, oh yes. And how do you fill this up?
So yeah, we'll fill it up and it holds about 24 jars.
So we have two of these. So we get about 50 jars of honey from our hive.
And here's a fun fact. That's only about 20% of the honey that they produce.
Really? So you leave a lot for them?
We leave a lot for them because in the winter, they still have to survive. They gotta live.
Yeah, exactly. So yeah, and then the honey will come out of this big spout. And obviously, for those who are listening, they can't see the spout. And it's a big, it's probably like two half dollar sizes. That the honey will come out of and then you can fill it up.
You harvest the honeycomb, put it in the cheesecloth, wait there for it to ooze out in warm room, and then you can distribute it into the jars.
What's left in the cheesecloth is either like comb or wax that we can utilize in other areas. 'Cause you can harvest- it's like with the bison, like the Native Americans used to do, we use every part of the honey.
So what do you do with the honeycomb and with the wax?
The honeycomb you can eat and it's delicious.
Wax, I've wanted to start doing this. You can make candles from it. I know that you guys at the Salt Palace do stuff with the wax.
Yeah, lip balm, lotion. You can use it for a lot of things.
The Honeycomb I've had has 13 minerals and vitamins and you put it in milk. It goes into a bowl and you pour milk over it and it's big, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's not small, no, no, no. (laughing)
Stay with us. Up next, we suit up and get our hands in the hive. You don't want to miss it.
Does your student want to become a veterinarian, commercial pilot, programmer? Maybe they want to make a difference as a dental assistant, work in digital media, robotics, welding, or web design. These are just some of the programs offered as part of Career and Technical Education, CTE in Jordan School District. CTE provides the technical skills needed to prepare students for future employment and/or a successful transition to post-secondary education. Career and Technical Education provides work-based learning opportunities. We partner with industry experts to offer apprenticeships and internships with students working in the real world at real jobs while going to school. The CTE experience starts in our elementary schools with the Kids' Marketplace and grows through middle and high school. Our two Jordan Academy for Technology and Careers (JATC) campuses offer unique programs to fit your child’s dreams for the future. To explore all CTE has to offer in Jordan School District visit cte.jordandistrict.org today and let's get your child started on the pathway to a profession.
Okay, let's put on your suit though.
Do you have on long pants? I just gave you a topper.
So bees will attack mammals in the face and in the head.
So when you're out there, it's probably likely that they'll be bashing into your head and face.
I'm used to a level of conflict in my workplace. Probably not direct attacks to the head.
Yeah. But they'll come right for your eyes and they'll come for your head.
Do not swat and don’t take it personally.
I'm suiting up here. You said my long pants are good enough. I've got a top.
Oh, I got gloves for you too.
It's gathered at the wrists and the mesh I was hoping for and the wide brim to the hat.
And wow, I feel like the real deal.
Talk to me about this. This looks like a picture.
So the smoker, it reminds me a little bit of Wizard of Oz when the Tin Man, the oil can.
Reminds me a little bit of that.
We put the smoker pellets inside. We also add newspaper just to--
Help it burn faster and longer.
And it looks like those pellets are specifically for-- Yeah.
Yeah, they look like rabbit food.
Yeah. It calms the bees, or what exactly happens?
Yeah, they communicate through pheromones, like we were talking earlier. And it actually confuses them a little bit, which is good. So they'll retract back into the hive and not-- because the guard bees will see those. There's guards. They're going to come out after us in the beginning.
Okay, they're just doing their job.
Yeah, they're doing their job. They're guarding the hive.
And they'll send out pheromones if they feel like they're getting attacked. So we just want to kind of disrupt that communication a little bit.
This looks like a large wooden crate with a little slot at the bottom that some of the bees were coming out of.
Yeah, and there’s two levels.
Oh my heavens, look at all those bees.
And they're not upset at all, they are very calm right now.
They're very calm. So am I.
Yeah, this is a docile hive. I've had aggressive hives in the past.
So the hive will have a personality, kind of like an eighth-grade class in the middle school.
How often during the year do you harvest?
We will do a small one in the fall. But like Amber said, we like to leave a lot of the honey for the bees. In the spring we'll take a little bit more.
So in these two houses, the babies are down here, the brood is down here.
We can try to separate and show you. It's just that there's so much honey. I don't know if we'll be able to separate them right now.
But the brood's down here, the queen lives down here. So when we check for her we do have to separate them and then up here is where all of the worker bees are at making the honey.
And you have taken- so there are these slats in there, these sheets of honeycomb and you're taking a hook to kind of pull it out and gently pull it out of the box. Then you use the clamp to pull it straight up.
Yes. Bart, do you want the tray?
You can already see that it's a little bit gooey.
Yeah, we're gonna make these guys a little bit angry because we're gonna kick them out.
So how do you kick out the bees? You’re just scraping them off?
You just touch them, yeah.
Yeah, you’re just scraping them off.
Can I scrape some bees off?
Absolutely. You just say “sorry, we're sorry guys.”
Just be gentle. Say “Sorry, we're taking all your food.”
If they stick on me then do I just brush them off of me?
Yeah, they’ll go away too.
You can actually let them off and go on your hand if you want.
Oh, a few of them are flying around a little bit.
And if the guards come, like I said, they'll start banging against your head.
Do you want to do that out here?
Well, we can take that in the house. I just wanted to take the suits off so we can check for any bees.
Before we had the beehive I was the stereotypical person of see a bee and run away, but now I look at them and I'm like, ‘oh my goodness. Look at that little guy, he's just working hard.’
You move all of this layer and then that's where your honey’s at. That’s the process Alexa was explaining to you.
Oh, so the honeycomb is the top layer and then underneath is where you can harvest the honey. Amber Allen:
In the middle and that's the part that we're separating when we put it in the hot space.
I see. Oh wow. Yeah, that's perfectly formed. That's amazing. I've not seen it like this.
Okay, dare? I double dog dare you.
Oh, yeah, it’s fresh. Let’s do it.
So do I just put my finger right in there? All right.
Okay, we're tasting the honey right off the comb.
Right off the comb. Oh, that is so sweet.
That's crazy it never goes bad. Right? How does that happen? So that means there's bacteria that can't handle it.
I mean, I've had a lot of honey in my life, but it's never tasted this good.
Yeah, this is the real deal.
And because of Miss Kitty. Don’t forget about her.
Miss Kitty, I thank her for her hard work. Alright well, thank you so much for taking the time and for giving me a little window into what it's like to have bees. I think it's fascinating and they're in good hands. You're taking great care of your bees, so thank you for letting us be part of that.
Yeah, thank you. It's been really fun.
Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you will do today. We'll see you out there.
[MUSIC]
