Mary Helen Turner’s prize winning honey. (Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz)

When Mike Mintz, of Westcott Road, decided to give beekeeping a try two years ago. He quickly discovered that he was among many Harvard residents dabbling in an ancient hobby that dates back to 6000 B.C.

"It wasn't long before I found 30 or so other hobby beekeepers in Harvard," Mintz said. "It gave me the idea to organize a group so we could mentor and advise each other."

Not long after, he founded the Harvard Beekeepers Yahoo! group. The group now has 17 active members. Mintz and other group members post questions and tips on the site. Fellow beekeeper Tom Aciukewicz of Depot Road thinks the group is a useful resource. "It is a great place to go if you have questions. I have been doing this for a while, but sometimes you come across something you need advice about," Aciukewicz said.

Aciukewicz has been beekeeping since 1998. He inherited his equipment from his wife Lisa's grandfather and learned the basics of beekeeping from her sister. The number of hives he manages per season varies. This year he kept six hives that yielded 90 pounds. He labels his honey "Come Here Often" and sells it for $7 per pound.

Tom Aciukewicz installs a package of bees into a hive. The bees are essentially shaken out of the box they arrive in and fall into their new home.

Hobby beekeeping done on a small scale doesn't require a large monetary investment, or a great deal of time or space. Hives can be kept anywhere that flowers bloom. Just one hive can yield from 40 to 90 pounds of honey. Best of all, as the bees forage flower beds and gardens, they perform the essential job of pollination.

Honeybees are responsible for pollinating more than 100 different types of crops in the U.S. each year, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, at a value of over $15 billion.

Local residents can see the honeybees' hard work displayed in the orchards that decorate the hillsides of Harvard. Every spring, Frank Carlson, of Carlson Orchards, has over 120 hives trucked in from a commercial apiary. The bees remain in the fields for one week to 10 days. According to Carlson, without the bees the orchard would have no apples because without pollination there would be no reproduction of fruit.

Although businesses like Carlson Orchards, Willard's Farm Stand, and the General Store sell Harvard honey, most local beekeepers have no need to market their product.

The queen bee arrives in her own container stopped up with a piece of candy.  She’ll eat her way out and join the rest of the hive.

Like chickens, bees can be sent through the mail....but if you order them this way, expect to get an immediate call from your post office upon their arrival!

Mary Helan Turner of Littleton County Road is one of many Harvard beekeepers with a dedicated clientele. As the proprietor of Friendly Crossways Hostel, Turner has visitors that return year after year for her prize-winning honey. She sells all her honey products right from her home.

Turner began beekeeping in 1999 shortly after taking a class offered by the Middlesex Beekeepers Association in Acton. She lives in the home she grew up in and remembers her father keeping bees there as well. She got her start somewhat unconventionally.

"I started my first hive on Easter day. I remember going out there with no net and no bee suit in my Easter dress. I probably looked a little crazy," Turner said.

Turner said she remembers immediately feeling peace from interacting with the bees, and it wasn't long after that she began entering her honey competitively. She won a blue ribbon at her first competition and has been successfully competing ever since.

This year Turner took home multiple blue ribbons in the honey category at Bolton Fair. She now manages nine hives that yielded 450 pounds of honey this year, and she plans to continue competing at the local level.

Backyard beekeeping does not require a license or a permit in Harvard. But, according to David Meldrum, vice president of the Massachusetts Beekeepers Association, it does take common sense.

"Beekeeping is a great hobby," Meldrum said. "I advise anyone who is interested to take a class. They are offered through local beekeeping organizations and are usually very inexpensive."

The classes are designed to teach novice beekeepers about the basics and inform them about different types of diseases that plague bees.

"The backyard beekeeper's biggest enemy is the mite. The tracheal mite can wipe out a hive or an entire colony of hives very quickly," Meldrum said. "These classes and also the network of local beekeepers are essential for successful beekeeping."

In this area, the two most popular groups are the Worcester County Beekeepers Association and the Middlesex Beekeepers Association. The theme of the clubs is "beekeepers helping beekeepers." Both organizations have monthly meetings and classes and hold regular forums for hobbyists and professional beekeepers.

For more information about beekeeping and beekeeping classes in the Harvard area, visit www.massbee.org or Harvard Beekeepers at www.pet.dir.groups.yahoo.com.