QUAKERTOWN, Pa. (WLVT) - If you ever take the Quakertown exit off the turnpike, you may notice a little stand that’s buzzing with business. Busy as a beehive even while their most essential employees, bees, are hibernating.
The popular product is from Bucks County Honey Company on the Willauer farm in Quakertown. It took owner Kevin Willauer a few years before he had enough honey to sell and begin bottling the product in his kitchen. This work pays off in the end. Even on a cold January day, you can see a steady stream of customers coming in to get their local honey for the health benefits.
“I come all the way down here to get this honey. I've found it to be very helpful with my allergies,” said Lenny Jenkins of Allentown. “I found it to be very effective. I've been coming out here for the last couple of years.”
Is there any truth to the health claims we’ve heard honey companies make over the years? Family physician Michael Carnathan of Bethlehem says there’s absolutely a connection between local honey and your health.
“It's been used for a long time in the medical community for decades, if not centuries,” said Dr. Michael Carnathan, owner of Arrow Primary Care. “Most popular, probably the most common reason [in] the medical industry would be for wound healing. We're actually seeing diabetic ulcers on the legs and some burn injuries. We actually apply a medical grade honey into that and we'll see these wounds heal fairly quickly.”
“Local honey will certainly contain the local pollens and allergens that are we found in the air so taking in local honey has been known to decrease the sensitivity to those allergens in the air. So people that suffer from seasonal allergies might want to ingest some local honey to kind of keep their immune system active that help[s] fight those allergies when the when that season comes around. The honey also has some antioxidant properties as well to kind of keep you healthy and feeling good throughout the year for sure.”
Willauer, who is a third generation farmer says the proof is in the sheer number of cars turning off the John Fries highway and into his lot.
For those who are interested in beekeeping, Willauer suggests joining a beekeeping organization and becoming educated on the topic.He says most amateurs don’t realize that hives grow rapidly and can quickly become unmanageable if you are not properly prepared.