I love honey on my cereal for breakfast and used to buy it during my weekly shop at the supermarket, but not anymore. Having read about why it is important to buy local foods, especially honey, I decided to search for a local apiarist. Searching Facebook Marketplace, I found one that would deliver. I arranged for him to drop off several jars at my workplace, which was very close to him. Then I got to thinking, maybe his hobby could combine with mine. So I sent a message and asked if I could take some photos, and he said yes!

I have never been close to a hive before, so I was a little nervous. I have been stung before, so I knew I was not allergic to stings. He was lovely though, and explained everything. I would have to wear some protective clothing, including a face cover. Oh, if I am going to be wearing a face cover, how would I focus the camera? Also, if I am wearing gloves, how would I operate a camera?

I decided to take two very different cameras, the Mamiya C2 and the Nikon F90x. I chose the latter as it had automatic focusing and a high top speed. It would be a very sunny day, one of the hottest of the year. That would actually save me a little, as you will find out.

Here I am ready to go. I loaded the Mamiya C2 with a roll of Kentmere 100 and got to shooting. It wasn’t as hard as I thought; the only issue was the Apiarist, Richard, was surprisingly quick so I had to ask him to slow his movement down. To keep me perfectly safe, he asked me to stand in a certain place, not in the way of the bees entering the hive. He also used smoke, which I learnt, doesn’t calm bees but triggers a ‘fire drill’ response. They think the hive is under threat from fire, so they engorge themselves with honey to have energy to find a new home. The full abdomen makes it hard for them to sting.

As he worked, he told me about his bee life. It started for him during COVID times, and he became obsessed with it. His wife bought him a book to give him something to do, and he got stuck in. There were several hives in his garden. The one he showed me had 30,000 bees in it. Though the bees can make the combs, the hive I saw used artificial combs. They allow the bees to concentrate their energy and ease honey extraction.

Once this film was finished, I switched to the Nikon F90x and a roll of Kodak 200. I forgot that the last time I used the camera, I set the ISO to 400. I overrode the DX coding. I thought the camera would reset itself, but it didn’t. Luckily, the very bright conditions meant the slightly underexposed film was perfectly fine.

You can see that some of the honey in the combs is darker. Richard said this was caused by the bees collecting from poppies, that flower produces a darker honey hue. You can also see the queen has a green spot on the back. He marks the back with a dot to make her easier to find. The black dot in the middle of the green is caused by the other bees trying to protect the queen. The bottle with juice inside is a wasp trap. Wasps not only steal honey, but can also destroy entire colonies.

Finally, I loaded a roll of XP2 and reset the DX coding to automatic. There is no waste in honey production; the wax can be made into candles. Beeswax candles are non-smoking as they are soot-free and non-toxic.

The honey is extracted by centrifugal force before being put in jars for resale, if that is the aim. Beekeeping can be an expensive hobby, especially with the upfront costs. BUT bees are vitally important to the ecosystem. Not only is this an interesting hobby, but it is one that can help the environment. Bee’s habitats are becoming more scarce, so local honey producers like Richard are providing an important alternative. Buying local honey is one way you can do your bit. Not only is it tasty, but you can help save these important pollinators.