Brodhead beekeepers gearing up for summer harvest

By Derek Hoesly, Correspondent –

As spring is upon us, it signals another beekeeping season for Opal and David John. The well-known Ten Eyck Orchard along Highway 11 just outside of Brodhead is where Opal and David and their many bees produce Opalicious Honey, the “Finest Honey on the Planet.”

Opal’s interest in beekeeping started at a young age. She grew up just over the bluff from Ten Eyck Orchard, where she and her seven siblings all worked at some point. Opal’s family grew a lot of their own food, and so her curiosity for beekeeping was born. She built a network, learning the trade through “a tremendous amount of trial and error.” Opal also worked side-by-side with veteran beekeepers, whose immense patience for her endless questions and troubles was worth its weight in gold.

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