provided to The Santiva Chronicle
Islanders, friends and family are invited to the community-wide FISH OF SANCAP Friendly Faces Luncheon at 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 14 at the Sanibel Recreation Center, 3880 Sanibel Captiva Rd. Sanibel Deli will provide a complimentary lunch for all guests. Giveaways and interactive group games are included.
“We’ve hosted some great speakers already this year, and are excited to hear from Brad MacKenzie, Sanibel beekeeper and owner of Sanibel Honey,” said FISH Senior Services Director Erika Broyles, who facilities the monthly event. “If available, Brad may bring a sweet sampling with him.”
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 more than 60 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 10 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.
Luncheon reservations and meal choices are required by Friday, May 10 to Broyles at 239-472-4775. Space is limited and FISH requests RSVPs as soon as possible. A virtual option is also available. Zoom instructions will be provided with RSVP. There is no meal delivery for virtual participants.
For additional information on the FISH organization and their programs and services, contact Executive Director Maria Espinoza at 239-472-4775 or visit www.fishofsancap.org.
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