I have been learning much on bees and even more about the people considered beekeeping legends, one of whom is George Imirie.  Some of his articles have been saved on this website.

Here is an excerpt from one of his writings:

People want to know “what are all these high salaried government scientists have been doing, and why haven’t they found a QUICK FIX that is CHEAP [to bee diseases]?” First there are precious few bee scientists in our country, because our legislators know almost nothing about a honey bee, other than HONEY and STING, so bees are deemed quite UNIMPORTANT except for the trial lawyer who sues a beekeeper for millions of dollars because his bees stung someone who was vandalizing an apiary.

And his response to people who want organic products but don’t understand how that applies to honey:

The height of this stupidity is quite evident when a person asks for “Pasteurized” honey that has not been heated. I turn away, turn up the volume of my radio and listen to the Redskin foot- ball report which makes better sense. YES, HEAT DAMAGES HONEY, but HOW HIGH is DAMAGING HEAT? Too much salt is not good for humans with high blood pressure, but HOW MUCH is too much?

A queen bee cannot lay eggs at any temperature less than 91° and the worker bees maintain a temperature in the brood chamber of 91°-96° irregard- less of whether the outside temperature is 50° or 100°; and heat RISES and honey supers are ABOVE the brood chamber. What do you think the temperature of honey supers are on a hot July day of a colony outside in the broiling sun? Bee scientists have checked this many times and have found honey in the supers with temperatures of 100°-110° - WONDERFUL HIGH QUALITY NATURAL HONEY. Heat LESS than about 120° and kept at that temperature for just an hour or so (just like nature) does NOT damage honey!

The bees are coming on Easter Saturday!  May our suffering Lord bless you this Lent as we prepare even now for his Passion, Death, and Resurrection.