How Florida Beekeepers Support the State’s Agriculture Industry
This article first appeared in Florida Farm & Family.
With an estimated $93.36 million in revenue for 2020, beekeepers are creating quite the buzz in Florida’s agricultural industry.
Approximately 92,000 bee colonies were used for crop pollination in Florida across an expanse of 36,000 acres, resulting in an increased production value for specialty crops such as blueberry and citrus at an estimated $237 million.
“Every third bite of food you take has something affected by pollination,” says John David Peterson, owner of World Honey Market in Baker County. “Seventy-five percent of commercial produce depends on or is aided by pollination.”
According to the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, 7.8% of Florida’s beekeepers reported having somewhere between 100 and 10,000 colonies.
“The honeybees and beekeepers are the backbone of many of the crops we have in Florida and around the nation,” says Amy Vu, UF/IFAS state specialized program Extension agent. “They are often a forgotten industry but are important to our industry as far as pollination and honey production go.”
Vu estimates 5,000 registered beekeepers and 700,000 colonies claim Florida as home.
Working Vacation
Josh and Briesa Ruby are part of that 7.8% and live in Collier County, where they began their honeybee operation, Rubee’s Raw Florida Honey, after being gifted eight hives as a wedding present from Josh’s family.
Josh, having worked with bees under his father’s tutelage since age 7, worked with Briesa to increase their colonies from the original eight up to 400. They saw a significant portion of that growth after changing up the scenery for the summers.
For the past two years, the Ruby’s hives have summered in Michigan from June through August, avoiding the heat, potential flooding and a portion of hurricane season.
See more: Florida’s Roadside Wildflowers Create Pollinator Habitats
“South Florida is a great place to have bees – except in the summer,” Briesa says. “Summers are hard for the bees because of the heat and the rain.”
The transport has allowed them to continue growing colonies in the springlike temperatures in Michigan.
In Florida, the Rubys prioritize honey production in saw palmetto blooms and citrus groves. The busy bees are utilized primarily for pollination services while in Michigan.
Sweeter Than Honey
The value of honey was up 44 cents a pound in 2021 from 2020, with an estimated 15 million pounds of honey produced in Florida. However, not all honeys are the same, as they come in a variety of colors and aromas, depending on the floral source the honeybees forage from.
Few folks know honey as well as the World Honey Market. Known as one of the largest commercial beekeeping operations in northeast Florida, they sell a variety of honey-infused products around the globe.
Peterson says he grew up fascinated by insects, consuming all the educational materials he could get his hands on.
“By the eighth grade, I decided that I wanted to make a career of it,” he says.
After some hard conversations, his dad was persuaded to help him acquire the materials for his first honey crop, which proved extremely unsuccessful due to a lack of experience.
Fortunately, Peterson’s passion for bees coincided with his high school agricultural teacher’s encouragement to enter the state’s Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) program with his honeybees, offering a second opportunity at success. The SAE program is a student-led, instructor-supervised work-based learning experience. After winning his state FFA Proficiency Award for Agro Entrepreneurship in 2010, Peterson invested the $500 in prize money into his fledgling business.
Currently, World Honey Market maintains more than 3,000 hives during peak season and has around 50 non-bee employees, while providing pollination services to agricultural giants like Blue Diamond almonds in California and Ocean Spray cranberries in Wisconsin.
Companies like World Honey Market are making more than just an economic impact.
“Fifteen years later, we are excited to be able to give back to FFA through our Got Honey fundraising program,” Peterson says, “and, most importantly, giving time to speak to the students in these programs to show them that I have been right where they are.”
Storm Safe
When Hurricane Ian struck further south than expected, many beekeepers were stranded with no way to prepare their colonies for the storm.
“It’s estimated about 400,000 colonies were in the path of the hurricane,” Vu says. “Beekeepers are still evaluating their losses.”
The storm blew lids off hives and caused even more destruction by contributing to high water levels, causing flooding.
“Colonies are kept on pallets, so very little water can cause damage,” Vu says.
The Rubee’s colonies were no exception, losing 80 of their hives due to flooding.
The hurricane’s strong wind also destroyed forage due to bloom drop. However, partnerships with organizations and donations from other commercial beekeepers allowed Florida’s beekeepers to get back up and running again.