The Palm Beach Par 3 golf course is bookended by the ocean and the intracoastal on the island of Palm Beach. Since February, the course has had bee hives nestled on the back 9.
Superintendent Tim Campbell started the effort with beekeeper Sierra Malnove as an opportunity to do better for the surrounding environment. The honey has been sold in the course’s shop.
“The feedback has been really positive, we’ve sold out of every bit of honey that we’ve gotten in and everybody’s excited, and people will call and ask about the program, some of the stores in town have asked about selling the honey, so everything has been really good,” Campbell said.
The health of bees and how they are linked to the health of local environments has been widely discussed in recent years. Colonies of bees have collapsed in great numbers in recent years. Pollinators like bees are linked to one in three bites of food we eat.
Malnove tends to more than 100 hives on fifteen golf courses in the county. She says the honey from the island is spectacular so far.
“Every honey harvest tastes different. It’s really incredible. I try to tell everybody to keep a jar from each harvest because each harvest is going to taste different. Each year, that season’s harvest is going to taste different,” she said.
The bees reflect the flora and fauna of the surrounding areas in the honey they offer.
“Having bees here takes that feast for our eyes and uses the bees to bring it full circle so we actually can share in the feast for our mouths by taking part in that delicious honey that we have,” she said.