The Home Page Network

This year, 2024, is the 10th year anniversary of The Home Page Network. To commemorate the occasion, we’re looking back at some of our favorite broadcasts from the past decade, including today’s memory: visiting Draper’s Super Bee Apiaries.

The following article and video was originally published in July of 2015.

There is something buzzing around Tioga County at Draper’s Super Bee Apiaries. Home Page correspondent Morgan Koziar had the opportunity to meet up with Bill Draper and take a tour to see how the liquid gold is made. *Honey is a pure and natural sweetener prepared by bees from nectar collected from wild and cultivated flowers. To make honey from nectar, honey bees evaporate much of the moisture and add compounds called enzymes that change the composition of the nectar. Draper’s bee yard consists of 24 hives. Each hive can be found in one of the boxes that are stacked. There is what is known as a “colony” in each of the stacks in the bee yard. The more bees that accumulate over time, the more height the stacks earn in boxes!

An issue that Draper’s often run into are the bears! To prevent the bears from invading the bee yard, an electrical fence surrounds the stacks. Bacon is placed on the electrical fence to attract the bear to lick the bacon and warn them that this is not the place for them to bee! The actual process for gathering the honey begins with removing the combs from the hive. The combs are then placed in a machine that removes the wax capping from the honey. The honey is then moved to a spinning kettle that uses centripetal force to extract the honey. Next, the honey is placed in to a storage barrel to then be filtered. Once the honey is free of any impurities it is then packaged to be sold. Draper’s Super Bee Apiaries offers a wide variety of Honeybee products including beeswax, candles, soaps, honey, royal jelly, and so much more!

“Everything in this industry is recyclable.” Says Bill Draper as he explains how every part of the honey being made can be used and re-used. The bee farm often has other beekeepers come and use their facilities.

Honey is known as the first sweeter known to man and is frequently mentioned in the Bible.
“Eat honey, my son, for it is good, honey from the comb is sweet to your taste”. Proverbs 24:13
“Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones”. Proverbs 16:24

Draper’s Super Bee Apiaries has been in operation for 40 years. The Draper family recognizes this success as the blessing from our Heavenly Father. Thank you for watching Wellsboro Home Page.

For more information about Draper’s Super Bee Apiaries, Inc. call 570-537-2381. You can visit their website at www.DraperBee.com or visit their facilities at 32 Avonlea Lane in Millerton, PA.