Did you know that bees must visit approximately 23,000 flowers to make one teaspoon of honey? Or that raw honey has 2,000 intrinsic factors that include antibacterial and antiviral properties? If you did, there's a good chance you've been hanging out with Jodie Combs, an active member of the Conestoga Herb Guild and a bee aficionado who tends to multiple hives located on her property in New Providence.

Jodie's husband, David, first approached her about beekeeping seven years ago. The couple decided it would be a fitting pastime for a family with the name Combs, and Jodie began researching what it would take to start raising bees. After some research and communication with local beekeeping organizations, Jodie and David learned of a nucleus colony, or nuc for short. A nuc is a small colony of honey bees that can be used as the foundation for a new hive. The nuc consists of bees from captured swarms or larger bee farm colonies.

After diving into the world of beekeeping, Jodie has not only learned a lot about bees, but also become familiar with their habits and preferences, including their daily schedules and what plants they are attracted to. The Combs family home is a vibrant grove of flowers, and Jodie purposefully grows many plants people often disregard as weeds. Dandelions, chickweed and jewelweed are only a few of the many varieties preferred by bees, and many flowers produce peak pollen levels at different times of day. Jodie said she had noticed the bees visit dandelions between 10 and 11 a.m. during the plants peak pollen time, and other pollen sources peak between noon and 4 p.m. "That's why you don't just want to have a nice yard with nothing in it. Ours is a big, weedy mess," Jodie joked.

In addition to shaping the landscape of the Combs home, beekeeping has sparked a passion in Jodie and her daughter, Emily Kauffman, for making a variety of items with honey and beeswax. Jodie and Emily make honey, wax figures, balms, candles and several other items with the products of their hives.

"People don't understand if you lose your bees, you lose 85% of your food," Jodie said. "Every bee has a different function. There's just so much about them that is so amazing."

Jodie and Emily will sell their items at the Conestoga Herb Guild's annual Herb Fest, which will take place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Millersville VFW, 219 Walnut Hill Road, Millersville. During the event, Jodie will present a program titled "The Buzz About Bees" to share her experience as a beekeeper and to offer insight on the importance of bees and their fascinating behavior.

Herb Fest will be open to the public and free to attend. For more information, search for "Conestoga Herb Guild" on Facebook.