CleverRoot

w i n t e r w i n t e r w i n t e r w i n t e r w i n t e r w i n t e r w i n t e r w i n t e r 2 0 1 8 2 0 1 8 2 0 1 8 2 0 1 8 2 0 1 8 | 9 Strengthening the Ecosystem Considered one of nature's rare complete foods, honey contains essential amino acids humans can't produce on their own, as well as many other vital minerals and vitamins. Thanks to a unique combination of fructose and glucose, honey helps the body regulate blood sugar levels but, historically, it had far more uses than as a healthy sweetener. Due to an enzyme added by the bees that makes hydrogen peroxide, it has antibacterial properties that are useful in healing wounds and burns. It was used as a nutritional supplement by ancient Olympic athletes to enhance performance, and we now know it contains flavonoids, the antioxidants that help reduce the risk of some cancers and heart disease. Naturally, the fruits of the bees' labor are directly reflected in Jordan's cuisine: Knoll uses honey, honeycomb, and pollen in the dishes he creates to pair with Jordan's wines. He was also inspired to design custom plates to present honeycomb as the centerpiece of desserts and a luxurious cheese course for winery guests. "Our estate honey is a flavor snapshot of the estate's terroir," Knoll explains. Surrounded by a ready source of food from native flowering plants, Jor - dan's apiary and Knoll's organic vegetable garden sit just below the winery chateau on the edge of a cattle pasture. Completed last fall, the bee garden is filled with Manzanita, Madrone, wild fennel, poppies, and other native plants that provide food for the bees during the winter when the Jordan garden's bounty isn't in bloom. During the growing season, the bees also gather nectar and pollen from the vineyard ground cover and the estate's fruit trees. "The entire ecosystem of the estate is more robust, thanks to the bees," says Knoll. H y Bs by the Numbers There are 20,000 bee species, but only seven are true honey bees. The lifespan of an average worker bee is seven weeks, but the average queen bee lifespan is three to five years. Female bees outnumber male bees 100 to 1. Queen bees can lay up to 2,000 eggs per day. Bees have a top flight speed of 15 miles per hour. One colony can collect 66 pounds of pollen annually. The average temperature inside the hive is 90–95 degrees Fahrenheit. One hive can house 40,000–60,000 bees. The recipe for one pound of honey: nectar from 2 million flowers and the life's work of about 768 bees. ■cr With reports of bee colony collapse disorder gaining more publicity over the past decade, Knoll believed Jordan Estate's vibrant habitat could be used to help save these vital insects. While biologists are increasingly uncovering the factors behind their decline, bee populations worldwide are still under threat. In the U.S., beekeepers lost roughly 30 percent of their colonies in the year from April 2016 to April 2017 alone, according to a survey of roughly 5,000 beekeepers conducted by the nonprofit Bee Informed Partnership in collaboration with the Apiary Inspec - tors of America. However, those grim statistics can be misleading considering the devastating effects Colony Collapse Disorder has had in recent years. Honey bee popu - lations had actually risen 3 percent overall in 2017 as of August, according to a study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and incidences of Colony Collapse Disorder—while still a major problem—are down 27 percent com - pared to last year. Fact Check: Colony Collapse Disorder

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