Brad MacKenzie, Beekeeper, Honey Maker is Guest Speaker at May 14 FISH OF SANCAP Luncheon

Islanders, friends and family are invited to the community-wide FISH OF SANCAP Friendly Faces Luncheon, scheduled for Tues., May 14 beginning at 11:00am. 

Says Erika Broyles, Senior Services Director, FISH, who facilities the monthly event, “We’ve hosted some great speakers already this year, and are excited to hear from Brad MacKenzie, Sanibel beekeeper and owner of Sanibel Honey. If available, Brad may bring a sweet sampling with him!”

Sanibel Deli will provide lunch, complimentary to all guests. Giveaways and interactive group games are included. Monthly luncheons are held at the Sanibel Recreation Center, 3880 Sanibel-Captiva Road, each 2^nd Tuesday of the month. A virtual option is also available. Reservations and meal choices are required by Fri., May 10 to Erika Broyles at FISH at 239-472-4775. Space is limited and FISH requests RSVPs as soon as possible. Zoom instructions for those joining virtually will be provided with RSVP. There is no meal delivery for virtual participants.

Brad MacKenzie moved to Sanibel five years ago, and his beekeeping journey started the next summer, when his girlfriend gave him a beehive. Four years and a hurricane later, Sanibel Honey has over sixty hives at different locations – mostly homeowners’ yards – throughout Sanibel.  

Sanibel Honey is made solely by Sanibel bees from Sanibel flowering plants, and harvested and bottled by MacKenzie. The honey is – exactly and only – what the bees provide, made from the wide variety of blooming flowers, bushes, trees, palms and mangroves on Sanibel Island. The company also makes beeswax products, and will be introducing a no-see-um repellent next year. 

“In the post-hurricane year, my first-year bees were busy building their hives and making enough honey to get through the winter,” says MacKenzie. “They didn’t make much surplus for us humans. This year, they will make more than ten times as much honey for me to bottle, so we’re really looking forward to that!”

In this discussion, MacKenzie will discuss Sanibel Honey’s mission and role in Sanibel’s ecology and human community. He will also touch on the role of U.S. managed commercial honey bees, the unique post-hurricane opportunity for bees on Sanibel, the life cycle of the Honey Bee and more. Additional information is located at SanibelHoney.com and on the company’s social media, Sanibel Honey on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube at @sanibelhoney.