Beekeepers busy year-round throughout Central California

MADERA, Calif. (KFSN) -- April through August may be when the honey harvest is in full swing, but just like these worker bees, beekeepers are busy all year.

"Our work right now is to ensure they survive the winter," says Madera Queen Honey LLC owner Luis Elizondo.

Elizondo says he checks the bees a minimum of every 15 days, ensuring a healthy hive with plenty of food and of course, a queen laying eggs.

"We always try to see the new bees between one to five days, and we always look for small details -- their wings, their mouth, and we're also trying to find that little mite," he said.

In addition to checking for disease, Luis says they make sure bees are bringing in nectar and pollen.

We suited up for a closer look.

Depending on the time of year, each hive has 20,000-80,000 bees.

"The more bees, the better the temperature," Elizondo said. "That's how they survive the cold -- that's why it's always a numbers game."

You can find Luis and his wife, Rita, at various farmers markets and pop-ups, including the Livin' Local section at the Big Fresno Fair.

They sell a variety of bee products, including raw, unfiltered honey, pollen, honeycomb and honey sticks. Madera's Queen Honey also places bees with various growers throughout Central California.

"Honey is always going to depend on the flower that the bee is going to forage," Luis said.

From almonds to citrus, even sage, the bees pollinate the crop. That crop adds to the taste of the honey.

Luis says when you support local, just like bees, you're supporting the colony, his family behind the product.

"Everybody plays a little part in it," he said. "There's people that lend us their land, we pollinate that land and that allows us to have food on the table."

Luis went on to say when buying local honey, always ask where the bees have been.

This impacts the taste of honey, especially when it's raw and unfiltered.