A Taste of Honey: La Mesa Verde Learns Bee Basics at History Park
Myra showing the process of honeymaking!
Who doesn’t love the taste of honey? Many people cherish this natural sweetener and home remedy, but how honey gets from the beehive to the store shelf remains a mystery to most. La Mesa Verde Program Manager Lucia Garcia knew little about the process until a chance encounter with History Park’s beekeeper changed that.
After leading an effort to revitalize the community garden at History Park, Lucia became interested in the bees buzzing around the garden and the beekeeping facilities on site. That interest led her to Steve, a longtime History Park beekeeper who was nearing retirement and looking for someone to take over stewardship of the bee field.
Lucia formed a partnership with Steve to teach LMV members how to care for bees and extract honey and wax. They hope the LMV program will eventually inherit stewardship of the bee field Steve built over many years.
That transfer of knowledge began with LMV’s first Honey Extraction event, held August 3–5. During the hands-on workshop, 34 La Mesa Verde members learned about the entire extraction process, including where honey and beeswax come from and how to prepare honey for use.
Honey extraction is a painstaking process that requires heating the room so the honey flows properly. The patience and dedication of LMV members paid off. The event yielded five 10-gallon buckets of honey, and each member took home a jar. For Lucia, the event demonstrated La Mesa Verde’s ethos in action.
“Whatever they do, it’s for the community,” Lucia said.
Learning to keep bees also supports LMV’s larger strategy of using native species to enhance the community garden at History Park. LMV plans to introduce more native plants that support local bees, strengthen the garden’s ecosystem, and create more opportunities for community building and environmental education.
As LMV members take on greater responsibility for the garden and beehives, the Honey Extraction event shows how the program brings community members together to learn, take action, and care for the spaces they helped create.
