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winter
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spr ing
from others, he believes.
“Americans deep inside are screaming for their humanity,” he said. “There’s a
deep human desire to be in relation with nature.
“In other countries, there’s a sense of past that lives on in the elders and
grandparents. That’s what gives a society a culture and sense of identity. America is
the farthest from an old and sustainable lifestyle.”
Before coming to Santa Barbara, Dane lived in a sustainable commune in the
Beira Baixa area of east central Portugal. As a teenager, he collected different herb
species, and made concoctions and poultices. His mother encouraged him to go cliff-
jumping and run through the hills with her. Beekeepers still maintain hives in tree
trunks and hollowed-out logs there.
He hopes to spread the same feeling of sustainable tradition and community
to Santa Barbara. He plans to organize events for local beekeepers to come together,
harvest honey and exchange ideas.
Back in Carpinteria, the morning lesson with Dumm is coming to an end.
Today’s session was longer than usual. One of the hives was not very healthy, and the
queen bee is not laying many eggs.
Uhler taught Dumm how to combine two hives by placing a sheet of
newspaper between them before stacking each box on top of each other. They will
eat through the newspaper in the next few days and slowly get used to each other’s
scent and combine into one hive.
After the lesson, Dane heads to his truck and lets out the bees lining the
windows. Luckily, his beekeeping flip-flops double as beachwear; his surfboard is
already in the back, and he’s off to hit the waves for the rest of the day.
photos by Julien Lecomte
Santa Barbara Farmers’ Market
Tuesdays, Old Town State Street, downtown Santa Barbara
4 pm to 7:30 pm – Summer • 3 pm to 6:30 pm – Winte
r
Staying safe with bees:
Don’t wear wool
• bees will think you’re an animal
If a bee is following you, look down and cover your eyes
and mouth with your hand. Walk calmly away under a
bush or tree
If you hear a bee buzzing in your hair or near you ear,
squish or roll the bee with your hands. If you swat them,
they will come back and sting you
Bee terminology:
Smoker
• a metal container with a nozzle. Special cotton is burnt
and placed inside the smoker. An accordion style press
on the outside distributes smoke where needed
Super
• the ‘shelves’ of the beekeeping box where bees build
their hive
Frame
• wooden vertical shelves inside each super where bees
build honeycombs
Brood
• bee eggs and developing bees
Comb
• made of beeswax, where bees collect nectar, lay eggs,
and store honey for fall and winter
Royal Jelly
• Queen bee’s food during the first 16 days of her life
Bee products from your own hive:
Honey
• bees make honey from nectar through a process of
regurgitation and sealing it all in honeycomb. Honey
has antiseptic and antibacterial properties, and has been
used to treat diabetic ulcers, sore throats and to improve
the skin. Honey and objects immersed in honey, have
been preserved for centuries. Contains trace amounts of
vitamins and minerals.
Pollen
• often touted as a superfood, nectar is part of a bee’s
diet and is now available as a food for humans.
Mostly composed of carbohydrates and 7 to 35
percent protein.
Mead
• also known as honey wine or aguardente (fire water in
Portuguese), a beverage that contains 29 to 60 percent
alcohol. One of the oldest alcoholic beverages made by
fermenting honey and water with yeast, and flavored with
spices or citrus fruit.
Propolis
• a resinous mixture bees produce from tree buds and sap
flow to seal their hives. Has antibacterial properties and
shown to prevent the growth of cancerous tumors. Natural
health practitioners use propolis to treat inflammation,
ulcers and superficial burns. Usually dark brown in color,
can also be red, green, white and black.
Beeswax
• used to make lip balm and high-end candles