Beauty Behind the Bees: A Visit to Gooserock Farm

A bee colony and a close-up.

As a child I remember being told, if you don’t bother the bee, it won’t bother you. It is more afraid of you than you are of it. Sound familiar? Well I sat there in my bathing suit waiting for the bee to fly away. It eventually did, but not before leaving behind a giant crater on my thigh as I belted out the loudest scream that water park ever heard. It was official, bees were my mortal enemy. Fast forward many years into the future. Now an adult, I still had not overcome my fear of the unprovoked “attack. Whenever a bee flew by, I would panic and run in the opposite direction. I decided to conquer my fear, visit a bee farm, and write about my experience. I brought my fiance Tim with me disguised as my assistant and driver, but mainly there to pull me back just in case I chickened out. We pulled up to the family owned and operated Gooserock Farm in Montville, NJ where we had planned to meet the owner, Landi Simone. She politely greeted us as we sat down to get to know one another some more. She kindly offered us a beverage, which I respectfully declined. Although my mouth was dry, I was too nervous to accept. I kept replaying the scene from “My Girl” where Macaulay Culkin is stung to death by a swarm of bees. Why did I agree to this?

From top left: Automated uncapping machine; Landi scrapes excess wax which is stored as shows; Can be heated and used for consumption.

After enjoying the incredible scenery and meeting the adorable family pets, a dog, two cats and a small coop of chickens, we made our way to the shed where the honey is extracted. My jaw dropped as we entered. The shiny metal machinery was mesmerizing. Landi was kind enough to show us how the extraction process worked. She first placed the honey comb frame on an uncapping machine with sharp bristles to remove the excess wax. After the wax is removed, the frames are placed in an extractor, where the honey is removed using centrifugal force. In other words, it spins around at high speeds until all the honey is extracted. The honey pours out onto a screen to remove any excess wax. As we watched and waited for the last of the honey to pour out of the machine, Landi introduced us to another substance created by honey bees.

Honey comb frames are carefully placed in the extractor; The extractor machine from afar; A close-up of the honey being passed through a screen to remove excess wax, and a small container of propolis.

Propolis is a mixture of resins made by bees from sap and other types of nectar usually placed to seal off unwanted or extra space within the hive. Its brittle texture resembles bark, but once placed into your mouth after combining with saliva, it tastes a bit like Big Red. As we chewed nature’s gum, Landi discussed the benefits of chewing propolis, which included fighting off colds and infections and treating sores and burns. She also revealed that due to the frequent stings beekeepers receive, they tend to live much longer, healthier lives than most other professions. Bees were beginning to get a bit more interesting. It was finally time to visit the hives. We took about a 10-minute ride to a secluded area where Landi tends to her colonies. As she turned off the electrical fence to keep out the bears, I nervously struggled into my protective gear. I envisioned the beekeepers suit to be from head to toe, but it was much shorter. I’m in the hands of a professional, I reassured myself. Landi removed a bee smoker from her truck. It was filled with what looked like hay and wood chips. She used this to spray the honey bees with smoke to keep them calm as she surveyed each hive to check for mites and record her findings. Tim nudged me closer as Landi removed a frame completely filled with bees. Wow, was all that I could manage to say. She began to describe the incredible intelligence of the species, from how they find their way back to the hive, to their back-up plan for their back-up plan in case they were to lose their precious Queen.

Landi showing us how to use a bee smoker, and removing a frame from the colony.

She moved in almost a serene way, picking up bees with her hands, showing us that these were not the vicious senseless animals portrayed in the media, yet incredibly focused, intelligent and determined insects. She described their sense of community, how they communicated to alert other bees of danger and where to find pollen. She could automatically tell the difference between her honey bees, the “lazy” drones, and the pestering yellow jackets. If one worker bee finds a field to pollinate, he will return to the colony, and communicate with its steps, like dancing. His steps pinpoint the exact location. Depending on the speed of his movements, the bees will know if it’s worth rushing there immediately or not.

A view from above of the frames, spaced apart just enough for bees to pass through, if it is too wide the bees will fill it up with more propolis. Can you spot the Queen Bee in the 2nd photo? Hint: Most of the bees are facing in her direction.

I began to see these magnificent creatures in a completely different light. Then came the question, are bees really going extinct? What is the reason for this drastic change? Landi responded by saying, many people believe it is global warming, the loss of crops, genetic mutations, these are all contributing factors but the biggest one of all are the varroa mites. These mites weaken the colony and are becoming pretty much unstoppable. They attach themselves to the larvae and feed off of the bees leaving open wounds and room for infections to spread. They mainly attach themselves to the drones, which are the non working honey bees whose main purpose is to mate with the Queen. A colony with these parasites must be carefully monitored and are not good candidates for breeding.

More bee close-ups, can you spot the larvae in the 2nd photo?

After we removed our gear and headed  back to the farm, we thanked Landi and her husband for allowing us to visit their home and their farm. We headed towards the honey house and picked up a few items to take with us on the journey home. A pound of honey, a 12 oz bottle of Blueberry Blossom Honey and a jar of Mango Honey Spread. I have gone through almost the entire jar of honey for various recipes. I wasn’t sure how I would use the mango honey spread, but ended up making popsicles and desserts, and Tim brilliantly mixed it with horseradish to use as a condiment on a sandwich. We decided to reserve the blueberry blossom for a special occasion, although I already used a bit to drizzle over some fresh fruit as a snack.

Gooserock not only sells an assortment of honey, but products made from honey such as lip balm, hand lotion, soap as well as fresh organic eggs laid on the farm.

So the next time someone tries to swat a bee, remind them how intelligent, organized and hard-working they really are. Honey bees and even bumblebees pollinate plants such as watermelon, okra, cantaloupe, kiwis and even gourds such as squash, zucchini and pumpkin. They are essential to us and truly magnificent creatures. Take a visit to a bee farm, conquer your fear, and enjoy pure honey straight from the jar on your journey home. A very special thank you to Landi Simone and her family for allowing us to visit and photograph the farm, taking hours out of her busy schedule to give us the full tour and for teaching us the beauty behind the bees.