Editor’s Note: Back in 2016, Postcards shared a story featuring hobbyist beekeepers from the Walker County Beekeepers Association. With beekeeping a current buzz-word surrounding potential agricultural property tax exemptions, we visited with an area beekeeper, whose full-time occupation is a honey of a gig.
No day is the same for Cyrus Nasr, a full-time beekeeper. In some ways, he says, beekeeping is like any other agricultural operation: every day, a beekeeper must do what needs to be done (and not necessarily what he had planned). “There’s always something to be done,” Cyrus says. Days can be long, but the work is rewarding.
Cyrus’s days are more predictable during the late spring and early summer, when flowers appear in the fields and gardens of Texas. Bees busily collect nectar from blossoms and do their bee magic, storing it in the form of honey. Because flowers bloom at different times, Cyrus notes, honey can usually be harvested throughout May, June and July, although thanks to late-blooming plants, some honey can also be harvested in the fall.
On most days during harvest season, Cyrus loads his truck with his protective bee suit and equipment, leaving the farm at about 9 a.m. Hive Bee Farm owns more than 200 hives, which are located on about 20 properties. Some are just a few miles down the road, while others are as much as 80 miles away. During harvest season, Cyrus visits the hives on at least one property each day. He does most of his beekeeping between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. for two reasons: it’s not as hot then as it will be later; besides, about half of the bees will be out foraging for food.
A hive, Cyrus explains, is contained in several bee boxes. The bottom two are reserved for the bees’ use, but as many as four more boxes can be stacked on top. These are the boxes that supply the extra honey that beekeepers harvest. While some beekeepers collect only liquid honey, Cyrus also harvests honeycomb. (Before he became a beekeeper, Cyrus owned and operated restaurants for 15 years. During that time, he learned that restaurants use honeycomb on cheese trays, charcuterie boards, and desserts. His fresh, virgin honeycomb is popular at many eateries.)
Although a good beekeeper won’t harvest honey the bees need for food, Cyrus says, bees don’t know this, so they don’t appreciate humans tampering with their honey. Furthermore, they don’t like the heat, and to harvest honey, beekeepers must lift the lid off the hive during the hottest months of the year. To minimize the chance of being stung, beekeepers use smoke. Cyrus points out that the smoke from a bee hive smoker will mask the pheromones that bees use to communicate; in addition, the smoke mimics a forest fire. The bees respond by consuming honey to prepare for the possibility of having to vacate their hive. Unfortunately, there is still a great possibility of being stung by irate bees, so beekeepers wear full-body bee suits. It’s a recipe for an uncomfortable experience. “You are in a ski suit in the sun doing CrossFit,” Cyrus jokes.
When honeycomb is capped with beeswax, it is ready to be harvested, either for the honeycomb itself or for liquid honey. When the honeycomb is ready, Cyrus brushes bees off the top box of the hive and uses an “escape board” so that bees can get out. The goal is to leave the bees behind because, he notes, a lost bee won’t find a new colony. Once the bees in the top box have flown out, Cyrus takes the honeycomb and honey—box and all—back to the farm. Liquid honey pours better when it’s warm, but Cyrus allows honeycombs to cool in the air conditioning for a few hours to firm up. “Honeycombs are soft and delicate,” he says. Once the beeswax is firm, he cuts the honeycombs, puts them in food service boxes and stores them in a freezer to pause the crystallization process.
In early 2016, Cyrus’s wife, Sandi Murray, an avid gardener, purchased two bee hives from a local beekeeper. At the time, the couple lived in Houston in a small house on a Houston-sized lot, and Cyrus was not enthusiastic about Sandi’s beekeeping endeavor. “I wanted nothing to do with it,” he admits. Sandi, however, soon found that she found beekeeping as enjoyable as gardening. She took a class from the beekeeper who had sold her the hives and followed him on Facebook. A few months later, he decided to move out of state and sell his 34 hives and vast assortment of beekeeping equipment. He posted a notice on Facebook and Cyrus, who was contemplating a career change, responded. “It’s a business. I have been running businesses for 15 years,” he thought, figuring he could learn what he needed to know about beekeeping. Unbeknownst to him, Sandi responded too. “We became full-time beekeepers overnight,” he says. The learning curve was steep, but the couple not only persevered, but grew their operation, too. It soon became known as Hive Bee Farm.
Cyrus and Sandi’s Houston residence was not ideal for beekeeping, but the situation was about to change. During the pandemic, Sandi’s job in human resources became permanently remote, so she and Cyrus began looking for a roomier place. After looking “all over,” Cyrus says, they stumbled upon a house on seven-plus beautiful acres near Montgomery. They moved in 2021 and built a large workshop where they bottle honey, store honeycomb, make beeswax candles, and store beekeeping equipment.
Cyrus has established routines on Mondays and Saturdays throughout the year. On Mondays, he visits the restaurants that have placed honeycomb orders, as well as his wholesale customers. Currently, Hive Bee Farm honey is sold in Montgomery County at Conroe Feeders Supply, C&S Feed, McCoy’s, A Slice of Amish and Healthy Living. On Saturdays, Hive Bee Farms operates booths at three farmers markets, including Montgomery Farmers Market.
On other days (other than during harvest season), Cyrus’s days are much less predictable. From Thanksgiving to Valentine’s Day, he maintains his hives, but doesn’t need to check on them as often. He often utilizes the “lift test:” if a bee box is so heavy that it can’t be lifted with two fingers, there is enough food for the bees and it does not need to be disturbed.
Sometimes, however, there are problems. Bees have been having trouble lately, Cyrus says, mainly because of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), herbicides, pesticides and varroa mites. Sometimes, hives need mite treatments. Occasionally, a box needs to be repaired. And sometimes, bees exhibit behavior that indicates they’re about to swarm. When they swarm, about half the bees in a hive leave with the queen in search of a new home, leaving the rest of the bees behind to make a new queen. If a beekeeper senses an imminent swarm, he will “split” the hive, allowing the same benefits of a swarm while still keeping all the bees in producing hives.
Hive Bee Farm leases hives to many landowners in the area who wish to get agricultural tax exemptions for their five to twenty acres, but who do not have the time or inclination to be beekeepers. It’s not unusual for Cyrus to respond to these landowners when they sense the beehives on their properties need Cyrus’s expert touch. Bees might be exhibiting swarm behavior; a storm might have knocked the hive over; the top might have blown off.
“If a beekeeper does nothing else,” Cyrus says, “he manages space.” If there is too much space, there is room for the invasion of pests; furthermore, it’s hard for bees to stay warm in winter. If there is too little space, the bees run out of room for food and brood (baby bees).
Hive Bee Farm sells raw, unfiltered, local honey, which is popular because of its health benefits. Truly local honey, Cyrus explains, is honey that is made from the flowers that grow in the area where it is sold. Allergy sufferers often tout the benefits of local honey, but to be effective, Cyrus says, people must consume honey that is made from the same flowers they are allergic to. Although filtering honey makes it attractive on grocery store shelves, he says, it removes beneficial properties.
The business also makes whiskey barrel-aged honey. About every three months, Cyrus obtains a 50-gallon oak whiskey barrel from the William Price distillery in Houston. He pours honey inside; after three months, the honey is slightly darker and has a subtle whiskey flavor. (After the honey is taken out, Cyrus returns the barrel and the distillery uses it to make honey whiskey.)
In addition, a newer product is being produced especially for athletes and health-conscious individuals. Bee Butter is a superfood made from honey and pollen. It has the consistency of loose peanut butter, Cyrus says, and can supply quick energy because honey can be broken down into glycogen—muscle fuel—efficiently.
In just seven years, Cyrus has become highly-knowledgeable about bees and their proper care, so people often ask him how to become beekeepers themselves. He often suggests that they join a local beekeeping organization, such as Walker County Beekeepers Association (facebook.com/walkercountybeekeepers). For more information about Hive Bee Farm, visit hivebeefarm.com.
Postcards Magazine
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