Straight from the hive at Fenwick Crick Honey

Shaun and Julie Horton run Fenwick Crick Honey at their Welland Road property in Fenwick. Over the past seven years they’ve grown their bee population to more than 100 hives. ~ Luke Edwards photos

By Luke Edwards

Keeping more than 100 hives in good shape with happy bees producing plenty of honey is hard work.

It keeps Shaun Horton busy for many hours outside his regular work as a Diesel mechanic. But there are moments when he and his Fenwick family are reminded of why they run Fenwick Crick Honey. Some of those moments occur regularly: like when a new or returning customer offers praise for the product, or simply when they can enjoy some fresh honey themselves.

But others are rare. And one of those rare moments happened earlier this summer as Shaun and his wife Julie were enjoying a brief period of relaxation one afternoon in their backyard.

Virgin queen bees conduct one mating flight in their lives, as they fly out from the hive and mate with several drones. The queen bee will store millions of sperm in a special organ called the spermatheca and use it to fertilize eggs for the rest of her life.

“We were sitting out back and we could actually see it happening, but I didn’t have my camera,” said Julie, with a laugh.

“It’s something very rare that I don’t think most people ever catch,” added Shaun.

Julie described it as kind of like a dance the queen plays with the drones, who briefly attach during the flight. After finishing the job, the drones die, and when finished the queen returns to the hive, where she’ll live out her days.

The Hortons got into beekeeping seven years ago, starting with six hives. Shaun had some experience, thanks to his grandfather, who kept some hives on his Wellandport farm for a local beekeeper when Shaun was young.

However, he didn’t realize at first just how much work goes into it. But as he learned more and more about the practice - often with the help of the local beekeeping community - things got better. Slowly they built their hives up to the point where they could sell some honey to friends and family.

Now, the Hortons have just over 100 hives, and sell raw honey and products out of a stand at their Welland Road property. They also produce elderberry syrup.

“We don’t focus on quantity, we focus on quality,” said Shaun.

Some of that requires education both for them and their customers. For instance, Julie said sometimes customers might find what they consider impurities, but is really just the result of them keeping things as natural as possible.

“Our honey is very lightly filtered, so you get wax in the honey,” said Shaun.

To help with the education, Julie has become fairly active on social media. She regularly posts about things that are happening on the farm and answers questions about beekeeping that many people have.

Shaun’s own education in beekeeping has seen him watch countless videos, talk to local beekeepers and attend a Bee Expo in Kentucky. Essentially it comes down to paying close attention, making adjustments before an issue arises, or quickly noticing a problem and adapting.

“The bees tell you what’s happening. You don’t tell them what’s happening,” he said.

But every day and every year is different, so both Julie and Shaun said it’s a neverending learning process.

Despite the hard work and long hours Shaun said beekeeping has a relaxing aspect to it, as well. Spending a few hours after work with the hives can be calming after a stressful day at the shop.

And when that work ends with a spoonful of honey, it’s all worth it.

“For me, it’s fresh out of the hive,” said Shaun, when asked about his favourite way to eat honey.

Sometimes he’ll call Julie down from the house and give her some fresh honey.

“And it’s the best treat you’re ever going to have,” she said.

In addition to being delicious, raw honey can also offer some health benefits. Their son is a high-performance athlete and eats a lot of honey to fuel his training.

The elderberry syrup they sell also has some potential health benefits, helping to support the immune system and providing nutrients and antioxidants.

Beyond enjoying the products themselves, Shaun and Julie said their favourite part of the job is seeing people learn about beekeeping or seeing their products improve the lives of customers.

“That’s more rewarding than any paycheque,” said Shaun.

The couple is working on an expansion of their stand, and hope to open a more substantial storefront later this year.

For more information on the business, visit fenwickcrickhoney.wordpress.com or follow them on Facebook and Instagram, at Fenwick Crick Honey.