A
s union carpenters, Linda and Norman Lachimia
were always intrigued by the historic 1837 one-room
schoolhouse that stood abandoned on the property next
to their Sewickley Township home. So when the opportunity to purchase the
crimson building presented itself in 2009, the husband-and-wife team jumped at
the chance.
Restoration began almost immediately, and continued for several years. One
day, while they were working, the couple heard a loud buzzing. Upon further
inspection, they discovered that a colony of honeybees had been using the walls
of the schoolhouse as a hive. From the size of the colony, they knew that the bees
had been in the wall for quite a long time.
Recognizing the plight of the honeybee, the Lachimias didn’t want to harm
the insects. They worked around the colony for nearly a year before calling upon
a local beekeeper for advice. Together with the beekeeper, they worked carefully
to find the queen and remove the hive from the 175-year-old schoolhouse,
preserving as much of the colony as possible.
“We couldn’t believe how big the hive was,” says Linda Lachimia. “Our
beekeeper friend helped us collect the bees and place them in a brood box.”
The discovery of the bees stirred memories of her Czechoslovakian great-
grandfather, who had been an accomplished beekeeper. Combined with her love
of farming, Lachimia’s beekeeping lineage made the decision to keep the bees an
easy one. Crimson Creek Apiaries was born.
“I come from a long line of beekeepers, but there were still a lot of things I had
forgotten,” Lachimia notes. “I needed a bit of a refresher before we could learn to
take care of the bees on our own.”
Despite their early trepidation, the Lachimias were excited about the prospect
of raising bees. Using his carpentry skills, Norman Lachimia—who is now
known locally as “Swarmin’ Norman”—began crafting Langstroth hives for
their “schoolgirls,” as they fondly refer to their bee colony. Patented in 1852,
Langstroth hives feature an open top with movable frames that allow beekeepers
to remove honey.
“Langstroth hives give the bees just enough space to move about the frame,”
explains Linda. “The frames fit easily in the extractor, and there’s very little wood
waste when building the hive.”
Crimson Creek currently has about 40 to 50 active hives, and it takes about
five seasons before a hive will produce enough honey to harvest. In the warmer
months, the colonies peak to about 60,000 to 80,000 bees per hive; this number
drops to about 35,000 to 40,000 bees per hive during the winter. Hives are spread
throughout the Lachimias’ properties in both North Huntingdon and Sewickley
Township.
Of course, if you raise honeybees, you get honey—a lot of honey.
“We had a heck of a surplus,” recalls Linda with a laugh. “We were giving it to
family and friends as Christmas gifts, and even they couldn’t use it fast enough.”
To offset the cost of packaging and preparing the honey, the Lachimias
decided to start selling their products. Honey production is now the couple’s
full-time job.
The honey is made one batch at a time and is sold raw and strained; it is not
filtered or pasteurized. Best sellers are the wildflower honey, as well as alfalfa,
goldenrod, clover and blueberry blossom honey. The Lachimias sell their honey
at a variety of local shops and festivals throughout Allegheny and Westmoreland
counties. They also sell a variety of honey products, including honey candy,
honey sticks and whipped honey. If it’s a particularly good year, they’ll sell the
honeycomb and wax itself, both of which are 100-percent edible.
While business is going strong, the couple has genuine fears about the collapse
of the bee population, which has significantly dwindled in recent years, putting
the global food supply at risk. According to the National Resource Defense
Council, many crops, including apples, berries, cantaloupes, cucumbers, alfalfa
and almonds, could be decimated if the bee population continues to decline.
The discovery of the bees
stirred Linda’s memories
of her Czechoslovakian
great-grandfather, who
had been an accomplished
beekeeper.
“Modern society is wiping honeybees out. With
lawn-spraying services, we’re destroying all of the
dandelions, and we need dandelions. They’re so
important—they can make or break a beehive. We’re
destroying the natural cycle that we need in order for
honeybees to thrive,” explains Linda.
This is why Crimson Creek also offers honeybee
swarm removal and extraction. Should a person find a
swarm of honeybees in an unwanted location, Norman
will capture the swarm and move it to a safe location.
Educating the community at large is important to
the couple. The restored schoolhouse, which is known
historically as Schoolhouse #3 at Millvale/Dick Station,
is now used for educational purposes and presentations
to various community groups.
The Lachimias hope that their experience with bees
will inspire others to become backyard beekeepers,
and want to alleviate the fears people may have about
bees in general. Yes, they get stung sometimes—mostly
when they’re extracting honey from the hive—but
unlike hornets, wasps or ground bees, honeybees will
die after they sting you, because they cannot pull their
barbed stingers back out of skin.
“Yes, they’re wild insects, and we can’t control them,
but we shouldn’t fear them,” says Linda. “Honeybees
don’t want to sting you. They’re overachievers—they
just want to work on their blossom and return to the
hive.”
For more information on Crimson Creek Apiaries,
visit crimsoncreekapiaries.com. ■
NORWIN ❘ FALL 2019
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