The delicious life of a beekeeper
By Chris Simon

Photos by Chris Simon Dickey Bee Honey owner Peter Dickey spoke to a crowd of about 50 people during a recent Innisfil Historical Society meeting.

Only one word could accurately describe Peter Dickey's presentation at the Innisfil Historical Society's monthly meeting recently ... sweet.

The fourth generation beekeeper and owner of Dickey Bee Honey spoke to a crowd of about 50 people during the meeting, discussing the history of bee keeping in the area and the process of honey production. He also displayed various antique production equipment, while wife Sandi handed out biscuits topped with honey.

"My father got up to about 75 hives," he said. "I've been doing this for the last 19 years, but I've only really started doing it full blast for the last five.

"Bees have been used for thousands of years; for honey, currency and warfare."

Beekeeping has a rich history in Innisfil. For more than a century, several of the town's most prominent people have been active honey producers.

Even mayor Brian Jackson has been a keeper for over 20 years, said historical society member Donna Wice.

"We had no idea that so many hobbyists had bees, women and men," she said. "In (the Second) World War they sugar rationed, so I guess the reliance on honey evolved to a peak then. Honey was used in place of sugar in baking and so on."

Honey production has been an important economic sector across the town and province. Currently, it's a $1 billion per year industry in Ontario, said Dickey.

"Nothing really happens until mid-May, when I start raising queen (bees) and put on my pollen traps. July and August are really the plentiful months around here," he said. "In September, we start our extracting process. The honey business in Canada is over a billion dollars."

Dickey's speech gave residents an opportunity to learn about beekeeping, and understand the role it plays within the town, said Wice.

"We're not talking Killer Bees here. Bees in the hot weather are incredibly docile and lovable. On a cloudy day, they're miserable, watch out," she said. "(The Dickey's) are young, but the business they're in is not young. It's an old industry with a new twist and products."