State Fair

I was an honest salesman tonight. Well at least a salesman and I didn't lie on purpose. I workeed the North Carolina Beekeepers Association booth selling honey and answering questions (they got answers for free and I think they paid too much).

My favorite questions for this evening:
Q: How are your bees doing?
A: Fine and yours?
Q: I don't have any bees?
A: Want some?

Q: Do you have comb in honey? (Got asked this at least 20 times)
A: No, sorry. A bee colony can make 8 lbs of honey or 1 lb of wax. Its just too expensive to use wax in that way.

Q: What's the best honey you have for sale?
A: All of it. (But if were me and it will be at the end of the night. I'd get the darkest you can find. It has more flavor, nutrients, and won't crystallize as fast as the lighter honey)

Q: Why don't you have any honey from Wake county?
A: Too much rain this year to get a good nectar flow. Hopefully next year will be a little drier, but not too dry.

Q: Why are the honeys different colors? Is it flavored differently?
A: The dominant flowers that the bees drew honey off of cause the coloring. There will also be a subtle difference in flavor. The darker amber it is the more they were pulling nectar from tulip poplars. The lighter is from clover, holly, cotton, and locust.

Q: Which honey will be the best for my allergies, cough, joint pain, scars (for real), etc.?
A: Which county are you from? Well here. This is from the hive closest to you. (I felt bad about this answer, but I know honey makes me happier, so the placebo effect may help them.)

Q: Aren't you afraid of getting stung?
A: Nope. I'm afraid of spiders, but I have a healthy respect for my bees.

My four hours went by very quickly. I was sharing the booth with one of the senior members of the Wake County Beekeepers Association. I let him handle all of the tougher questions about hive management, health of the local hives and local beekeepers. I handled small talk and customer engagement - which frankly surprised the hell out of me that I could be that extroverted. I was able to in the couple of short lulls to ask about some hive management questions that I had too. He was able to calm me down about some feeding questions (i need to do a 2:1 sugar to water ratio for the fall) and pest management.

At the end I was actually sorry to have to leave, but the building was closing . I did pick up some great dark (nearly black) honey from New Hanover county for Susan's cough . I may have to see if they have another evening that they need someone :D