Program Summary: David Feinberg, “Bee Space: The Foundation of Beekeeping,” December 2, 2021

David Feinberg is an artist, stone carver, sculptor, engineer, and entrepreneur. He has led a varied life where he has been blessed to explore that which interested, intrigued and impassioned. He spent 40 years designing outdoor equipment branding as Hemigear and then Dr. Zipper. He was a contract designer for Sierra Designs and The North Face. He was a senior designer for Classic Accessories, a manufacturer of textile cover products.

He became interested in the world of precision, lathes, milling machines and what they do and how they do it. Currently, he is the Founder and CEO of PURE Juicer, www.purejuicer.com. PURE Juicer manufactures and distributes a true two-stage hydraulic cold-press juicer, the PURE Juicer, the world’s finest juicing machine.

He has also been a beekeeper for over twenty years. At first, he kept one-to-four colonies, then expanded to 40-80 colonies. These days, he has 15-25 colonies “as relaxation from the pressure of work.” 

David says, “The best days are in a warm and sunny apiary, with no veil or gloves, the bees’ wings fanning my face with the smell of ripening honey.”

Key points from Dave’s presentation:

Swarms occur when bee colonies divide. The more experienced bees leave the colony to go elsewhere and set up a new hive. You can stand in the middle of a swarm–the bees are too busy to bother you.

Bees are the ultimate corporation. Everybody wants to get their product. They keep a clean house. Everyone knows their job. Everyone works together.

Bearding occurs with bees drape over their hive to ‘air condition’ it during hot conditions.

Bees are social insects.

One individual–the queen–lays all of the eggs for the colony.

Removeable frames are the key to modern beekeeping. The beekeeper can remove frames to keep an eye on what is going on in the hive.

“The way to make honey is to have a lot of bees.”

Worker bees have a lifespan of thirty-five days.

Pollen is the source of bee protein; nectar provides energy for the bees.

There can be 60,000 bees in a colony.