It's honey time at Beekman Apiaries in Sanger and a time to show the fruits of their honey bees' labor.
"I look at bees as very docile. They're very intelligent insects. I have a lot of respect for them even though they sting," said Bryan Beekman, with Beekman Apiaries.
Beekman is a third-generation beekeeper. He says making honey starts in the fields, where bees spend their days pollinating orchards and taking nectar back to the hive, where it is spread throughout the honeycomb.
During the natural honey flow, these bees are really busy. In fact, they can fill up a box of frames in about a week and the box itself weighs 80 pounds.
At his facility, employees scrape the cells off each frame to extract honey and wax. Beekman says honey has a lot of positive health benefits.
"The hive is like a medicine cabinet because of all the properties. There are so many antibiotics that are used off bee propolis in the hive. Also honey is good for your health. It's good for allergies," he said.
The Beekmans sell their honey to Sue Bee and also sell some locally at their own store called the Honey Hut in Sanger. Inside, there is a tribute to the generations of beekeepers. Beekman says he can't imagine being anything else.
"My family originated here and there is no better place in California to be a beekeeper than in the Central Valley," he said.
Beekman says an average bee produces 1/4 teaspoon of honey in its lifetime, so you can imagine how many bees worked to produce just one bottle of honey.