Beekeeper Cranking Out Honey, Creams Thanks To Philly's Flora

PHILADELPHIA — Those unfamiliar with the city of Philadelphia might not know it abounds with green spaces and parks.

And one of the city's most famous and popular parks has been a boon for a local beekeeper, whose bees thrive on the local flora, producing honey and wax he sells out of his home. Norris Childs has been keeping bees in Philadelphia for about 40 years after a friend from his time in the Peace Corps turned him on to the hobby.

Childs lives right by Wissahickon Valley Park in the Germantown section of the city.

The park, he told Patch, provides plenty of nectar and pollen for his many bees, which produced about 45 gallons of honey this summer, and are expected to produce just as much in the fall.

"They need nectar and pollen for the colony," he said of his bees.

Luckily, being so close to a bountiful green space gives the bees flowers from mid-March to late October. He said skunk cabbage is one of the first plants to bloom in the area, and his bees harvest pollen from the plant to feed their babies.

After the skunk cabbage arises, flowering plants such as tulips, poplars, black locusts, maple, and lindens bloom to give the bees even more to tap into for nectar and pollen.

Childs said he harvests honey in the beginning of July and that the summer honey has a different flavor from the late summer-early fall honey.

The later batches of honey are often made from nectar of plants such as aster and goldenrod.

But it's all good to Childs, who said he loves all kinds of honey.

He even likes a new type of honey that integrates an aspect of the loathed Spotted Lanternfly.

According to Childs, the invasive species has a secretion that the bees pick up and subsequently add to their honey-making mixture.

The end result is a sweeter honey, he said.

Childs said the whole beekeeping process is relatively easy: you buy the bee boxes, buy the bees, put the bees in the boxes, and let them do their work.

It's a mostly passive activity, but beekeepers need to check on their colonies relatively regularly to ensure they are not infected with any diseases or mites, which originated from Asia and can destroy a colony in about two years if not treated. Childs said when he began keeping bees, the mites were not an issue, as they became a problem in the United States back in the early 90s.

And of course there is the honey harvesting, which as mentioned above occurs twice a season.

While Childs said he got about 45 gallons of honey during his July harvest, he said last year's harvests yielded about 60 gallons each.

"The most original way [to harvest honey] is to scrape the wax and honey off the frame and comb into a bucket," he said. "The wax floats to the top and honey settles at the bottom. Then you can bottle it or whatever or put it in a cheese cloth bag or paint strainer."

Childs, however, has his own method.

"I take the frame out and cut the wax that's on top of the comb off and put the frame in a machine that spins and extracts the honey," he said.

The honey then drips into a container that he bottles the honey from.

Harvesting honey does not come without its dangers, however.

"Hundreds and hundreds of times," Childs responded when asked how many times he's been stung. "It doesn't hurt much after a couple of minutes."

Childs has many beekeeper outfits and said he really only uses them when he's harvesting and not often when he checks in on the bees, which he keeps right on his property.

"If I'm gonna steal their honey, I need to wear the gear," he said.

Even in full gear, Childs said there is a chance to get stung.

"They will find any gap in clothing and gear to sting you," he said. "If you don't put a strap around your ankle, they will get up your pants, and that's something you don't want."

Many beekeepers save the wax for candles or creams.

And Childs makes his own honey bee wax-bases skin creams in addition to his honey.

He began selling his honey and creams during the throes COVID-19 pandemic.

With fewer people driving and more people walking, he decided to put a sign on a tree out front of his house advertising locally sources honey and wax products.

"All of a sudden, people started calling me asking about honey," he said.

Childs sells his products out of his home, and interested buyers can contact him online here to get his Philly-made honey.

His skin creams are made with the natural beeswax, coconut oil, almond oil, and have flavors such as sandalwood and eucalyptus.

Childs is also the president of the Philadelphia Beekeepers Guild, which was established about 13 years ago and runs Honeyfest in Philadelphia.

Honeyfest was held over three days in early September in Glen Foerd, Wyck in Germantown, and Bartram's Garden.

Events and activities include beekeeping demonstrations, sales of honey and other bee products, educational activities, and even and person who covered himself in bees.

While 2022's Honeyfest has passed, Childs is looking forward to the 14th iteration of Honeyfest next year.

Learn more about the Philadelphia Beekeepers Guild online here.