Five Beekeepers Win Top Awards at Virginia State Fair
November 15: 2023, Centreville, VA The Fairfax Beekeepers Club announced eight of its members took top honey honors at the Virginia State Fair in the Open Honey Competition.
The yearly competition draws hundreds of beekeepers from across the state and awards beekeeping related entries in fourteen categories.
The Virginia State Fair judges honey on density, freedom from crystals, cleanliness, flavor, and the bottling appearance with 100 possible points awarded to each entry.
“Fairfax County isn’t the first-place people think of when they think of quality honey production,” says Tagg A. Timm, owner of TT’s Bees and President of the Fairfax Beekeepers.
Timm’s TT’s Bees won for best dark amber honey in the state with his first place win with his 90 point Tree of Heaven Honey.
Fairfax Beekeepers has 74 members across the county with approximately 400 domestic hives producing 40 thousand pounds of honey throughout the spring and summer months.
“Unlike other flying insects, honey bees are not aggressive and thrive in Fairfax County neighborhoods. Honey bees are directly responsible for the pollination of 30% of all the food humans consume and are the reason so many vegetable and flower gardens are flourishing in the county,” says Timm.
The Fairfax Beekeepers won in the following categories:
Tagg A. Timm: 1st place in the dark extracted honey category; and 6th place beeswax single mold category; 9th place light amber honey; 15th place in the amber category.
Nathanial “Nate” Muller: 1st place the display of amber/dark chunk honey; 2nd place in dark extracted honey; 2nd place amber extracted honey; 4th place in beeswax single mold category; 5th place beeswax pair candles dipped.
Karla Eissen: 3rd place in display of light/light amber cut comb honey;10th place in light amber extracted honey; 11th place beeswax single mold category; 12th place in amber extracted honey.
Zubair Vaid: 7th place in amber extracted honey; 8th place in beeswax single mold.
The Fairfax Beekeepers Club meets the 2nd Monday of each month. The club’s focus is education via public speaking at schools, private groups, and community events. The club supports local beekeepers with mentorship, equipment, and training.
Timm urges everyone no matter where they live to seek out and buy local honey for the health benefits and its better taste. “There are beekeepers in all 50 states. And if you are having trouble finding one, search for local beekeeping clubs near me,” says Timm.
Honey Bee Facts
- A bee visits 50-100 flowers per trip from the hive.
- It takes 12 honey bees their entire life to make one teaspoon of honey.
- Honey bees must visit and tap 2 million flowers to make one pound of honey.
- Honey is such a rich energy source it would only take 1 ounce for a bee to fly around the world.
- Bees must fly a combined 55-thousand miles to make a pound of honey.
- Raw, local, pure honey, with its natural antiseptic and antibacterial properties never spoils.
- There are 212-thousand beekeepers in the United States managing 2.67 million domesticated bee colonies, 70% are located in California supporting the almond crop.
About Fairfax Beekeepers Club
Founded in 2017, The Fairfax Beekeepers Club comprises beekeepers from northern and western Fairfax County, Virginia to promote responsible honey and beekeeping in our urban and suburban environment. To learn more or to attend one of our monthly meetings visit us online at fairfaxbees.org
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