POWERGRAMS

7 Although he lives only minutes from downtown Birmingham, George Stegall gets a buzz from beekeeping – a hobby more often associated with farm life. Stegall became interested in apiculture after learning bees are the secret to having more successful vegetable gardens. When his tomato plants failed to produce in 2010, Stegall turned to the Internet. He found that although his tomatoes were getting sun, water and nutrients from the soil, the one ingredient they were lacking was a sufficient amount of pollen from other plants. "I read I needed to get bees, but I thought, 'That's crazy. I can't have bees because I live in a neighborhood,'" said Stegall, rate specialist, Regulatory Pricing, Corporate Headquarters. "But then my cousin who lives in San Francisco got bees for Christmas. That's when I found out that urban beekeeping has become very popular." That winter, Stegall attended a daylong workshop at Auburn University, where he gained the knowledge he needed to get started. He joined the Jefferson County Beekeepers Association and began developing relationships. Today, Stegall has four hives – two in his backyard and two at Sims EcoScape, a community garden near his home in Edgewood. "Springtime is the fun time to be a beekeeper. That's when the bees start buzzing and pulling nectar and pollen from the flowers," said Stegall. At the start of spring, Stegall begins adding boxes, known as supers, to his hives. The supers each hold up to 10 frames. The bees build wax combs on these frames and fill them with honey, pollen or eggs. During the blooming season, Stegall continues to keep his eye on the hives and monitor the progress of the bees. When the tops of the frames are covered with wax, he knows the honey is ready for harvesting. Stegall said most beekeepers "rob" the hives on Memorial Day and Labor Day. "I prefer to harvest on Memorial Day," said Stegall. "That way, the bees have time to rebuild their honey supply during the summer and will have plenty to eat all winter." Memorial Day is busy for Stegall and his wife, Brittany, who helps label and bottle the honey. The harvesting process usually takes about four hours, Stegall said. He first pulls the frames from the hives and cuts the wax from them. Because opening the hives and moving the frames can agitate the bees, Stegall uses a smoker to keep them calm. "The smoke helps shepherd the bees back into the hive," said Stegall, who wears gloves, a veil and a beekeeper's jacket as protection while working with his hives. "I haven't had any real problems with bee stings. I've never been stung more than three or four times while harvesting my honey. The only time honeybees sting is when you're invading their hive and they feel their mama is threatened." Stegall places the frames in an extractor – a barrel-shaped piece of equipment that uses centrifugal force to separate the honey from the wax. He and Brittany then begin preparing the final product. Brittany, assistant to Alabama Power's vice president of Customer Service, filters the remaining wax from the honey using a mesh strainer. She sterilizes the jars in boiling water, pours honey in and attaches a label with the name of the couple's business, Edgewood Bee Co. Brittany also makes lip balm and candles from the honeycombs. After heating the wax in a double boiler, Brittany filters it through cheesecloth. She sometimes adds various scents for candles, such as lavender or mint, but said she prefers the naturally sweet smell of honey. The final step is to pour the wax into candle molds and insert the wicks. "Beekeeping is a neat hobby, and it's a cool thing to say you do," said Brittany, who helped her husband collect the honey from the hives before their 5-month-old son, Goocher, was born. "The best part, though, is being able to give honey to friends and family." George said he collects an average of 80 pounds of honey from each hive on harvest day. To help defray the cost of the equipment, the Stegalls sell honey to friends, co-workers and neighbors, or at the local farmers market. Although springtime is the primary beekeeping season, it's a year-round hobby, Stegall said. In the winter, he removes the supers to make the hives smaller and warmer. He also places a sugar block in each hive to supplement the bees' food supply. Stegall's interest in beekeeping has grown from his longtime love of gardening. As a boy, he helped weed, water and tend vegetables in his grandfather's garden. When he moved to Edgewood in 2009, Stegall could not wait to get his hands in the soil and begin his own garden. Stegall's advice to prospective beekeepers is to give it a try, adding it's not a complicated process. "Beekeeping is not time-consuming or difficult," Stegall said. "You can get answers to any of your questions on the Internet or by talking to another beekeeper. It's a neat hobby, is good for the environment and helps increase our food supply by pollenating plants." By Carla Davis Honeycomb Haul PROFILE Stegall has been beekeeping for five years. Photos by Nik Layman EM PLOYEE'S U RBAN B EEH IVES AN N UA LLY YI ELD 80 PO U N DS Family, friends, customers enjoy Edgewood honey.

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