Byron's Bee Co. x FOUR Objects
Meet Byron, extraordinary natural
beekeeper, rescuer and re-locator!
FOUR OBJECTS: In your blog post, you mentioned, “Learning about these little critters was so compelling that I continued to attend [the local LA Bee group].” What did you find compelling about bees when you first got involved, and why was the subject so important to you?
FOUR: You also mentioned you were “more interested in observing and letting them bee” than harvesting honey initially. What is something you learned from simply observing that has influenced your intentional approach?
BYRON: Over the course of a single worker bee’s life, she will have flown about 18 miles to produce approximately 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey. To produce a pound of honey, thousands of bees will have flown a combined 55,000 miles and visited 2 million flowers. A single pound of beeswax requires around 8 lbs of honey. I hope customers are reminded of the immense effort hives make to create honey and beeswax.
FOUR: What knowledge from bees/ their connection to the earth do you hope customers are reminded of when they consume your honey or use your candles?
BYRON: The first time my assistant saw how the candles are made after I carefully hand-poured 100 candles, she exclaimed, “This is truly a labor of love”. Everything about honey and beeswax requires patience. This is not an automated assembly line; this is one person pouring your candle by hand using the single most exquisite source of candle fuel that one can choose.FOUR: How is your process distinct from conventional beeswax candle making, and what are the greater benefits this process creates that might not meet the eye?
FOUR: What perspective has your beekeeping journey given you that you hope to share through your work?
