Bill Morey checking on the honeycomb production of his bees. (Photos: J.D. Pooley/Sentinel-Tribune)

WESTON – Veteran gardeners and farmers know the invaluable service of
bees. Bill Morey, along with his wife, Deborah, are using the productivity of bees as a
nice small business venture.The couple have begun the Hive N Garden, LLC, based out of
their home in Weston.Though they have bee hives at their home, most of their 11 hives
are scattered around the county in other locations.Morey says they produce raw honey
without any chemicals and without heating it as many honey producers do.He also, for
the most part, does not use any smoke to handle or move the bees."The bees are
much more gentle," Morey said. "There is no benefit to me or the bees to use
the smoke."With as many as 50,000 bees servicing his hives, one might expect he
has been stung frequently."When handling my hives, even one sting is a
rarity," he said.He does take a lot of caution because Morey knows the bees will
defend their hive and its queen."It’s certainly nothing like the ‘killer bees’ as
seen in the movies," he said.It’s also not like the cautionary tales of the
vicious bees migrating our 11 way from South America.The process used to capture and
process the honey sold is all natural.He uses "capped honey" which Morey says
is the "perfect scenario" as it has the right moisture content."It won’t
go bad, it won’t grow mold," he said.Pointing to some of the capped honey on one
of the frames in the hive he said, "You can take this, put it in a plastic
container and it will last literally forever. It won’t go bad."

Some of the 50,000 bees servicing Morey’s hives

He stressed everything he does at his hives is
all natural. He uses no pesticides for any bee enemies. He does have traps near the
hives which catch moths, beetles, mites, etc.His start into the bee business was rather
modest roughly six years ago."I did a lot of gardening but there were no
bees," Morey said.After 18 months of research and contact with the Maumee Valley
Beekeepers, he built is own equipment and started his first hive. It was successful and
he got homey which the family could use."I expanded a little at a time," More
said. His hives are located in three different locations. He makes sure there are plenty
of sources for the bees, locating the hives in wildflower fields. He also selects areas
away from fields where chemical fertilizers or pesticides may be used.Morey says he
focuses on the all-natural aspect of his hives because, "I don’t want anything in
that honey, because I’m eating it."Most honey purchased in the store has been
heated to expedite the collection of the honey and getting it on the shelf."We
crush it and let the honey drain. There is no heat involved," he said."The
raw honey has an amazing flavor. It has all of the qualities of what the bees eat,"
Morey added.The raw honey will crystallize after time, but a little heat will restore
it to the natural state.Morey said that honey right from the comb was one of the first
snacks of people."Before candy, before gum, that’s what people ate."The
family operation is not a major business, but it does give the couple and their children
something to do together. The children, Hannah, 12, and Asa, 9, are very involved; while
even 2-year-old Laydan helps carry items and bags for them.

Bill Morey produces raw honey without any chemicals

"The are all involved. The kids get to see where there food comes
from. They really enjoy it," Morey said.The family takes their honey and other
products to the farmers market on Saturdays, which is held at Stimmel’s Market on West
Wooster Street. That market runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. each Saturday.This fall he hopes
to create some whipped honey which will be sold. He said the whipped honey has more of a
butter consistency.He does have a solar melter which is used to melt the beeswax
cubes.Beeswax can be used as a lubricant on zippers and drawers and is also used to
make a homemade lip balm and a cold-process soap.Since taking their products to market,
Morey says "the feedback has been phenomenal."In addition to the bee
products, they also take home grown vegetables to the market. Like the honey, it is all
natural and features "heirloom" varieties.The fresh vegetables have an
"amazing flavor" he says noting people who are only used to grocery store
veggies will have a "shock in their mouth" when they taste the difference.At
the market, the Moreys will always have samples of the raw honey available."Even
people who normally don’t eat honey, will almost always buy a bottle, once they taste
this."He said his wife has virtually stopped using sugar in her baking and now
substitutes honey. The honey can also be used in coffee and tea and naturally on
biscuits or rolls.Because they only have a small garden plot at home, they don’t always
have a huge selection of vegetables available at the market."It’s catch as catch
can," he said noting those arriving early will have a choice of greater
variety.