Angie and Ted LeMay recently won a second-place ribbon at the state honey contest held by the Alabama Beekeepers Association for 2015. Their honey won the second-place ribbon for its excellent flavor.
When asked how their honey is different from others, or what makes it so flavorful, Ted answered, “I think the main thing (that makes it different) is that we aren’t around a lot of farmland. Our honey is made from mostly wildflowers. It’s just natural wildflower honey.”
According to backyardbeekeepers.com, honeybees are responsible for the majority of all fruit, vegetable and seed crops in the U.S. but with the growth of cities, there are fewer foraging opportunities available to bees. However, areas like Franklin County contain a large assortment of nectar and pollen for honeybees, thanks to commercial and residential gardens.
“We’ve been keeping bees for about six years now,” said LeMay. “This is our second award, and we will compete again in September of this year.”
The larger part of the LeMay’s business is selling bees: they have almost 100 hives and want a great many more. They also sell bees and hives as well as honey.
“We think that maybe eventually we will get into making some hive products like soap and lip balms and things like that,” LeMay said.
Anyone who is interested in starting a beekeeping hobby can contact Ted or Angie at 256-810-4495.
“We will help anybody who wants to learn,” said Ted.
For more information about beekeeping you can go to www.alabamabeekeepers.com.
