Civil engineer turns pecan acreage into Kickapoo Honey apiary in Clinton

CLINTON, Mississippi — Mauricka McKenzie, a civil engineer and president of Cornerstone Engineering, said he turned acreage that had been a pecan orchard into an apiary now known as Kickapoo Honey.

McKenzie told Mississippi Today that the idea began after a friend suggested he get honey bees when his pecan trees failed to produce. “Get you some honey bees,” McKenzie quoted the friend as saying, and added, “I love it so much out here.”

McKenzie said he began with two nucs — nucleus colonies consisting of a queen and about 10,000 bees — and later grew to six nucs and captured two swarms, producing about 10 to 15 gallons of honey in his second year. He said mites wiped out nearly half his hives in the third year and that he learned treatment methods from online research and other beekeepers, including Mack Busby of Soso.

McKenzie said his bees are Italian honey bees, which he described as gentle and industrious, and that he planted wildflowers and white clover to support them. He described using lemongrass oil in swarm traps to mimic queen pheromones and a smoker to mask alarm signals when inspecting hives. “Sometimes, I just come out here, sit and talk to my bees,” he said.

Kickapoo Honey is located at 600 E. Northside Drive in Clinton. The business listed store hours as 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and provided (601) 946-4450 as a contact number, according to Kickapoo Honey. Photos accompanying the original story were credited to Vickie D. King of Mississippi Today.

Source: Original Article