Walker Farms keeps local bees hard at work
Alan Walker and his wife Joyce own Walker Farms in North Fort Myers.
They have been in the same location for 55 years, since 1970, Walker said, adding that his family had moved to Alva back in 1889 and that he has had bees since he was 13.
He explained that his life has encompassed many things along the way to the journey that led him to today, including having been in the army as a young man.
He said, there was never some mysterious brand of intuition that led him to a life that would be driven by the ecology of bees, but rather he just got to a certain point where he knew this would be what he’d do with his life.
Based on his aesthetically pleasing country store and ‘Welcome to our honey’ house sign out front, it’s easy to see why he never argued with what turned out to be his fate.
When it came to having been taught about bees, Walker was self-taught.
“Basically, there was an old man named Harry Hill — I bought two bee hives from him for $5 a piece when I was a boy — he knew a little bit about it, but when I wanted to do something, I’d just do it,” Walker said.
In the process of learning all he would need to know about bees, he turned to books, which is where he learned how to raise queens, graft eggs and many other things he’d need, he said.
Over a half century of familiarity with this species has allowed Walker an intimate knowledge about bees. In his opinion, we are losing bees, which is a very necessary resource and at a rapid rate.
“It’s just the way the world is running now. All the bug sprays — it’s terrible, the way we’re just encroaching on the wildlife and all the wild places. We’re getting rid of a lot and we’re shrinking the animal world. It’s all about money. We cannot survive in this world without something to pollinate and the number one pollinator is bees,” Walker said.
He went on to explain how, in his opinion, money has been a continuous driving force behind the obliteration of many different kinds of animals and their many habitats, including bees.
At Walker Farms, they have a different philosophy.
The honey and all products is all natural.
The honey is processed on the premises in his own processing room.
“Most of the honey in the world comes from some big producers and is controlled by the government. One of the biggest honey producers in the world is China and it’s got more crud in it than you can imagine — sugars, syrups — all kinds of stuff,” Walker said.
Some of the biggest companies we have today, are buying less expensive honey, he said, just to save a few bucks.
“Not from me. You won’t get that here. My experience is, if you want the best honey, buy local, unfiltered, uncooked, unblended, unprocessed honey from whomever it may be,” Walker said.
Walker Farms is at 6251 Bee Charmer Lane in North Fort Myers. For additional information, visit www.walkerfarms.honey.com.