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Behind the Scenes with the Bees
It's late August, and the morning sun feels relentless, even here in the heart of Springfield. The buzzing of bees fills the air in the hidden garden at MaMa Jean’s East Sunshine location. Nestled among vibrant flowers and overgrown lavender lies a lesser-known secret: three honeybee hives. Most days, these industrious creatures go about their business, pollinating plants and creating the golden nectar we all love. But today is special. The hives are ready, and the beekeepers are eager to harvest the sweet bounty.
Harvesting honey is the most rewarding part of beekeeping. This sticky, golden prize is the result of countless hours spent nurturing healthy hives. Since spring blooming began, our bees have been busy collecting nectar and pollen to make honey. Foraging within a five-mile radius, the honey produced by these bees is as local as it gets.
Our professional beekeeper, Jeffrey Maddox, is here to guide us through the process. Maddox has been keeping bees since 2008 and was even the president of the Beekeepers Association of the Ozarks from 2014 to 2016. He tends to over a hundred hives across the region, ensuring each colony thrives year-round. His busiest season is April through August, but he checks on his bees regularly to keep them in top shape.
Each hive at MaMa Jean’s consists of boxes, or "honey supers," as they're officially called. These supers contain frames where bees build their wax foundation. As the bees fill these frames with honey, additional supers are added to provide more space. Maddox ensures that at least 40-50% of the honey remains for the bees to survive the winter.
To harvest safely, Maddox uses a smoker to gently calm the bees. He places a cloth board with a natural fumigant on top of the hive, driving the bees down to the lower parts, leaving the upper supers free of bees and ready to be removed. Carefully, he pulls a frame from the super, showing how the bees create wax combs and fill them with honey, capping them with wax when full.
"The bees are incredible," Maddox remarks. "There are 40,000 of them working together without anyone giving directions. How do they manage to create the same structure every single time? It's fascinating."
MaMa Jean’s co-owner, Diana Hicks, assists Maddox in removing the full honey supers and loading them onto a truck. Maddox covers the supers with a cloth that has a wire funnel, allowing any remaining bees to return to their hive. Once the supers are loaded, Hicks and Maddox drive to Beecharmer Farms, where Valorie, or Val as she’s known, will help us extract the honey.
Valorie, owner of Beecharmer Farms, has been extracting honey since 2007. She’s a mentor to many new beekeepers in the area and operates out of her "Honey House." Her automated uncapping machine, which she calls the "Cadillac," quickly removes the wax caps from each frame. The knives are heated to ensure the honey flows smoothly.
“It’s a sticky situation,†Diana jokes as everyone gets to work. Maddox and Hicks manually check each frame after passing through the machine, ensuring no cells are missed. All the honey is collected in a tilted tray that filters it into a "china cap," capturing any wax chunks. Not a drop of this liquid gold is wasted!
Valorie has two 20-frame extractors. Each uncapped frame is placed into the extractor before she starts the machine. Centrifugal force pushes the honey to the sides of the tank, where it drips into a filter and collects in a 5-gallon bucket.
"Honey is like wine," Maddox explains. "Even from the same winery, it varies from year to year. Bees forage on different blooms, producing unique flavors and colors." The beekeepers note how each batch of honey tastes distinct, with varying hues and tasting notes depending on the hive and its location.
Back in the hive, the bees use their wings to dehydrate the nectar into honey. For the honey to remain shelf-stable and not ferment, the moisture content must be 18% or below. A honey refractometer is used to measure this moisture level. Our MaMa Jean’s honey passes the test with flying colors—our bees are true professionals!
As Hicks pours the honey into bottles, the room buzzes with satisfaction. It's been an enlightening afternoon at the honey house, and we’re grateful to Maddox and Val for their expertise. With jars of honey ready, we conclude this season’s honey harvest. Stop by our store today to grab your own bottle of BEEver Honey! We’re thrilled about this third release of raw, pure small-batch honey. Get yours while supplies last—it’s the perfect gift for loved ones!