Oakdale Beekeeper is in it for the Honey

Oakdale resident, A.J. Moses is an avid beekeeper and upcoming speaker for the Outdoor Speaker Series. He will be speaking at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 25, about his work as a beekeeper and extracting from his hive at the Nature Center. Oakdale Patch reporter Mary Buelow sat down with Moses to talk about his love for this honey-sweet hobby. 

Oakdale Patch: How did you get started? How long have you been a beekeeper?

A.J. Moses: My father-in-law was a beekeeper for about 75 years. I always showed an interest in it by attending club meetings with him and looking on when he was digging in the hives. I took a class at the University of Minnesota and became a beekeeper when I retired. I have been doing it for six years now. 

Oakdale Patch: What do you like best about beekeeping?

Moses: Of course, the honey! There is also a lot of science involved and I love educating people about that. I give presentations at Stillwater Junior High for their science festival each year, which is a lot of fun. 

Oakdale Patch: How many hives do you have?

Moses: I have 14 hives. The majority of them are kept at Whistling Well Farm in Hastings.

Oakdale Patch: July is typically the peak month for honey production, how much honey do you anticipate to produce this summer? What will you do with the honey?

Moses: I haven’t harvested yet this year but it looks like it will be about 600 pounds. Whistling Well Farms sells a lot of it under their name. has carried it for a couple years as well. I keep about a dozen 12-ounce jars for myself for the year. 

Oakdale Patch: Many beekeepers send their bees out of state to pollinate crops in the winter. How do you feel about it, considering the toll that takes on the bees?

Moses: I do not do that; it is very hard on the bees. But I have to say if you are in the beekeeping business to make money, pollination is the only way you are going to do it. There is such little room for profit with honey production, at least in Minnesota, where the summers are so short. 

Oakdale Patch: How often do you re-queen?

Moses: Every two years. I will re-Queen most of my hives next spring. I do have one queen that is very strong that will probably last another year.

Oakdale Patch: The bee population has been decreasing at radical rates in the last five years. Some speculate the possible causes of Colony Collapse Disorder being environmental-change related stress, insect diseases, pesticides or even cell phone radiation. What are your thoughts on this?

Moses: We have an expert at the university who has been working on this problem since it surfaced. Her take on it is that it’s not one specific thing, but more likely a combination of things. I think that seems more accurate, I think if it were one single problem we would have pinpointed it by now.  Honeybees have battles to fight already, but when something comes along, it doesn’t take too much to destroy the colony. 

Oakdale Patch: What would be your best advice to someone who was interested in becoming a beekeeper?

Moses: Definitely take the class at the university; it’s a wealth of information. You can also connect with people there who have been doing this for a long time. Having those resources is the single greatest benefit for new beekeepers.