Sweet Deal for These Bees: No Pesticides

CARE for a taste of honey?"That's the magic phrase for beekeeper Bob Egan as he and his crew handle the swarms of people around his organic honey booth. One drop of honey on someone's fingertip is often all it takes to make a sale, he says. Mr. Egan sells raspberry, wildflower, and blueberry honey, a distinction that reflects the nectar source. The honey is organic because no man-made pesticides are used. To ward off mites in the hives, he uses menthol, a natural substance, and also keeps his bees in isolated areas of Maine, where they won't mingle with migratory bees from other states that carry pests. Organic honey isn't processed. Regular honey is heated to avoid crystallizing on store shelves. This gives it a "burned, molasses" flavor, he says. The organic fair is a big moneymaker for Egan, whose farm is in Wellington, Maine. "If I didn't have this fair, I wouldn't be an organic honey producer."