In the bee line

Resident says money not the only motive behind his apiaries

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Some find the company of bees anything but calming. But Las Vegas resident Jeremy "The Bee Man" Shane said he finds it very relaxing to get inside a hive and oversee the bees' work.

He keeps about 12 hives, or starts of hives, in his backyard in east Las Vegas, and 32 more hives at several other locations in the valley. In spring, he situates queen bees in each hive and then watches as each hive grows strong and independent.

The bees provide him with the sweet sticky substance that fuels his business, the Las Vegas Honey Co. Aside from honey, the venture offers hive rentals, swarm catching and hive removal.

Shane's interest in beekeeping began early -- his grandparents in Idaho maintained an apiary, a spot where bees are kept for honey production.

"I only went there once when I was little, but I knew they were there," Shane said.

He also had a beekeeping neighbor in the Las Vegas neighborhood in which he was raised. In Boy Scouts, he earned a beekeeping merit badge working with his neighbor.

About three years ago, when he started to get really interested in the topic, he began to read and study.

The initial investment in the pursuit is not much, he said. Bees themselves vary quite a bit in price, but basic colonies, including a queen, can be found online for about $90. Smokers, used to relax the bees and bring them into their hive, are about $35. Beekeeping suits cost about $85.

Whether you assemble them yourself or not, the basic hive structures are fairly inexpensive -- $55 to $65 online. It's a good thing, since the Las Vegas Honey Co. thus far has not generated big business, he added.

"It's not profitable, I can tell you that much," said Shane, who also has a handyman business.

But he said he really enjoys working with the bees.

"You get attached to them. It's like having pets really," he said.

Someday, he hopes to see the Las Vegas Honey Co. expand. There are various avenues for someone who knows how to work with bees, he said.

The money in beekeeping right now is really in pollination services, Shane said. He would love to build up his apiary enough to contract his bees out. Large farming operations order hives in order to make sure they get a crop.

Las Vegas is not the first place people think of when they think of fresh honey. But city-dwelling bees have it easier in some respects.

"They always do well in the city because they're always irrigating the plants," Shane said.

Hives in more rural areas may be more subject to the ravages of drought. If the plants dry up, there is no nectar for the bees to collect and therefore no honey.

But Shane always has plenty of honey in the summer after his bees have been collecting nectar, mostly from Mesquite, all season.

Shane said his bees have a way of adapting to the high summer temperatures in Las Vegas.

"It's kind of rough on them, but they form kind of like their own swamp cooler," he said.

On the hottest days, the bees do nothing but collect water. A number of them bring it back to the hive while others stay outside the hive fanning their wings so the air moves by the collected water and cools the hive.

Shane's wife, Diana, said she is not a huge fan of honey or many sweets of any kind, but she said she likes it as a special treat. She was supportive of starting the honey operation because she knows it is something her husband enjoys.

The occasional sting has not discouraged the couple's son Russell, 2, from playing around the hives in the backyard.

"He loves bees," Diana said.

So far, their 6-month-old daughter Ariadna watches all the action in the backyard apiary safely from her mother's arms. There is always the risk of being stung, but Shane said he takes precautions.

"Even I don't like to get stung. It doesn't feel great," he said.

He does not always wear a full body suit, but he knows the times when he needs to.

"The stronger the colony, the more aggressive the bees," he said.

Shane said there are a few honeys that are better than others, even among grocery store brands, but he still loves honey that comes right off of the comb.

"All I do is filter it. I strain it and filter it and that's it," he said.

Honey does not really need much else. It does not spoil. Because of its high sugar concentration, it kills bacteria.

Shane sells his honey harvest at Great Harvest Bread Co., 4800 E. Bonanza Road. For more information, call 410-6257.