Not many would tolerate getting stung countless times by bees and then go on to think – I am going to be a beekeeper. But that was what Jon Nobel did. Growing up, he spent a lot of time on his uncle’s farm in Dorr, Michigan. He came to love farming. When asked to help with bee hives, it was just the next step to Nobel’s decision. He is now the owner of Jonny Bee Goods on a farm in Otsego, Michigan, he calls the Nobel Honey Farm.
Nobel says it was a “happy accident” that he became a beekeeper. “Probably in the 90s,” he says. “I started helping my friend with bees. Around 2002, the honey price just started going crazy, started going through the roof so much that I thought, I might as well get my own bees. I got my own equipment … my first live hive.”
Although one hears that bees have been struggling over past years due to environmental issues, Nobel says he is mostly able to keep his hives healthy. His recommendation is to allow lawns to go at least partially wild to benefit pollinators and to always avoid sprays that can kill bugs.
“The last couple years, I would have what I consider decent strength hives,” Nobel says. “But we do struggle with viruses, which we believe can be attributed to the Varroa mites. It can transfer viruses from bee to bee. Once the bees get it, they start spreading it among themselves.”
Nobel places in hives throughout Allegan County but uses another service to extricate the honey from the combs, then sells the honey in jars of all sizes through his business, Jonny Bee Goods. In cold months, he transports the hives to Florida and California, where they continue gathering honey and pollinating crops. Every spring, he transports the hives back to Michigan and begins the process all over again.
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