By Tamara Scully
AFP Correspondent
LONG VALLEY — Tassot Apiaries currently consists of about 160 hives, which are
located on many parcels of farmland throughout the Morris and Hunterdon County
areas.
Unlike traditional farmers, who must have land to plant their crops,
beekeepers must have crops to feed their bees.
Jean-Claude and Beatrice Tassot began their apiary by finding farmers who
would allow them to keep beehives on their land. Many farmers readily agreed,
as farmers who don’t keep their own bee colonies traditionally have to pay for
pollination services from commercial beekeepers. With the Tassot’s proposal,
the farmer could have pollination for free, and the Tassots could maintain
their hives on the farmer’s land and collect the honey. A win-win situation,
Jean-Claude Tassot explained.
Wild honeybee populations have undergone drastic decreases in recent years.
Many farmers had noted that their yields of crops, of which most depend on bee
pollination, were significantly decreasing. The benefits of having colonies
onsite at the farm made local farmers very receptive to the Tassots’ proposal.
Based upon the results: honey, soaps, candles and other products made by the
Tassots from their hives, and sold via Web site and through numerous local
retail outlets, the idea was fruitful for this beekeeping couple as well as
for the crops. Their pure honey, which is not heated or filtered and comes
from local pollen, is a benefit to those suffering from seasonal allergies as
well.
Beekeeping as a means to make a living is an intricate art and a lot of work.
It isn’t enough to build a hive and collect honey. The colonies are closely
managed to ensure that there is enough pollen available to them, as well as
sufficient supplies of nectar and water. Pesticide and herbicide use can
damage bee colonies, yet the colonies are vital to farming, where they may be
exposed to these hazards.
Mites and other infestations can kill a colony. Swarming occurs if the colony
isn’t divided at the proper time and the bees become crowded. And the honey
can not simply be taken from the bees. Enough must be left for the colony’s
nourishment — especially during the winter months, when the colony will remain
in the hive, surviving on stored food, and possibly on supplemental sugar or
sugar-water provided by the beekeeper.
But despite the hard work involved, the Tassots don’t want to discourage
hobbyists.
“Beekeeping as a hobby with a few beehives in a backyard only takes a few
hours a week,” Beatrice Tassot said. And even hobbyists can have a beneficial
impact on our ecosystems. “As honey bees visit blossoms to gather the nectar
and pollen necessary for their survival, they help agricultural crops, home
gardens and wildlife habitats flourish,” Jean-Claude Tassot said. Bees, he
said, are “an integral and critical component of the agricultural
environment.”
Extending farmland assessment and right-to-farm protection to beekeeping
professionals is an issue Beatrice Tassot, who was recently was elected to the
post of President of the New Jersey Beekeepers Association for 2007, would
like to have addressed. Because the managed honeybee colonies are so important
to crop production, apiarists who manage hives as a business should be
recognized as farmers, she said. Part of that recognition should include some
farm assessment tax reductions and right-to-farm protection, despite the lack
of a land base.
“Just imagine my neighbor’s faces if I put hundreds of beehives on my five
acres,” Jean-Claude said, referring to the five-acre minimum needed to qualify
for Farmland Assessment in New Jersey. “Honeybees have to be in close to the
crops, not concentrated on my property.”
This year, the Tassots will be meeting a growing demand from professional
landscapers concerned about the lack of pollination of small fruit bushes and
landscape shrubs on the properties and gardens they maintain. The Tassots will
be providing several local landscapers, as well as individual homeowners, with
hives. The couple will manage the colonies and even collect the honey for
their subscribers. Homeowners can reap the benefits of the bees without having
to concern themselves with the work involved.
The Tassot have quite a lot of concern for the honeybees going into the 2007
season. The 2006 season was difficult on bees, even without the mite and the
emergence of Colony Collapse Disorder.
The mild winter contributed to problems, Beatrice Tassot said, as the
honeybees will leave the hives when temperatures are above 55 degrees. The
bees went foraging quite a bit this winter, but of course there was little to
pollinate. So they expended excess energy — requiring consumption of food
stores — with little to show. Beekeepers had to supplement the stored honey
with sugar water to keep the bees fed.
Beatrice Tassot is determined to educate the public about the essential role
bees play. She wants to continue connecting new beekeepers to established
mentors. She wants the public to realize that honeybee swarms or hives found
in and around the home need to be collected by a beekeeper — many of whom
advertise this service — and not killed. The Tassots have also worked to
promote beekeeping through educational outreaches at summer camps, 4-H fairs
and other local children’s programs.
For the beekeepers themselves, Tassot would like to see more participation and
high-quality displays entered into shows, such as the New Jersey State Honey
Show, held during the State Agricultural Convention. There, beekeepers
showcase their products and promote not only their own businesses, but the
beekeeping industry as a whole through creative displays and product design
and quality.
As winner of the Best Exhibitor Overall for the 2007 show, Tassot Apiaries
could lead the way. The numerous ribbons they received for their amber and
dark honey, several varieties of mead, beeswax, creamed honey, a honey frame
and photography earned them their way to the top.
“No farmers: no food. No beekeepers: no farmers,” is a motto the Tassots
endorse. With Tassot Apiaries leading the way, the role of the humble honeybee
and of the beekeeper, might soon be elevated to the sweet status they deserve.
For further information, visit Tassot Apiaries at:
www.tassotapiaries.com or
call 908-264-4504. The New Jersey Beekeepers Association can be found at
www.njbeekeepers.org.