Alstead beekeeping expert at home among hives

Charles Frederick Andros began his beekeeping career in 1973 and learned the intricacies of the trade from experts at large and complex beekeeping operations in Texas, Florida and Hawaii.

Charles Frederick Andros began his beekeeping career in 1973 and learned the intricacies of the trade from experts at large and complex beekeeping operations in Texas, Florida and Hawaii. —Courtesy

Charles Frederick Andros examines a bee brood. Dave Priebe, the current apiary inspector for New Hampshire, said Andros has a gift for beekeeping.

Charles Frederick Andros examines a bee brood. Dave Priebe, the current apiary inspector for New Hampshire, said Andros has a gift for beekeeping. d. priebe—Courtesy

Charles Frederick Andros of Alstead finds wide value in the products of beehives, from honey to pollen to propolis. “There are so many flavors of honey,” he said. “People talk about wine and all the different grapes and flavors, but that is nothing compared to honey. We have so many sources and blends.”

Charles Frederick Andros of Alstead finds wide value in the products of beehives, from honey to pollen to propolis. “There are so many flavors of honey,” he said. “People talk about wine and all the different grapes and flavors, but that is nothing compared to honey. We have so many sources and blends.” d. priebe—Courtesy

By RICK GREEN

The Keene Sentinel

Published: 12-16-2024 10:03 AM

As a preeminent beekeeper, Charles Frederick Andros of Alstead understands that honey can be sweet, mild, tangy, spicy or fruity.

“There are so many flavors of honey,” he said. “People talk about wine and all the different grapes and flavors, but that is nothing compared to honey. We have so many sources and blends.”

The taste of honey depends on the type of flowers in bloom when the bees take nectar. Japanese knotweed, goldenrod, dandelions, raspberries, milkweed and sugar maples are just some of the varieties bees depend on.

Geography and climate also contribute.

Andros, 73, relishes other products of the hive, as well, such as the pollen the bees collect from flowers and consume for protein and other nutrients.

He swears by it as a dietary supplement.

“I don’t just take a teaspoon of pollen a day, I take a half a cup to a cup,” he said. “I put it on my oatmeal for breakfast with fruit.”

He also extracts propolis from hives. Bees use the sticky substance to seal crevices, but it also has anti-microbial properties. He makes tinctures out of it and takes at least one milliliter of the substance a day, more if he feels a cold coming on.

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Andros seldom wears protective clothing while working with his bees, so he gets stung from time to time. And surprisingly, he said bee stings are another advantage of working with the insects, explaining he feels this helps his immune system and that a few years ago aided his recovery from a sore back.

Although multiple bee stings can cause severe reactions and some people have significant bee allergies, practitioners of alternative medicine using bee products — apitherapy — contend the body’s anti-inflammatory response to venom can be useful in treating some ailments.

Andros runs Linden Apiaries in Alstead.

He sells nucleus colonies, or nucs, which are small hives with bees in different stages of development, food, a queen and workers. He also sells honey, pollen and propolis.

Andros also puts on beekeeping workshops.

He formerly served as an apiary inspector for New Hampshire and Vermont, helping beekeepers control parasites and disease to prevent infection of other hives. Inspectors also examine apiary equipment and bees before they are shipped out of the state.

He began his beekeeping career in 1973. That’s when his uncle died at home in Walpole shortly before he was due to install bees in hives on the property.

Andros, who lived nearby, took care of those bees and has been working with the industrious insects ever since.

He learned the intricacies of the trade from experts at large and complex beekeeping operations in Texas, Florida and Hawaii. Andros worked in construction for a time, but beekeeping has been his main livelihood and his passion.

During the winter, his hives are weatherized, the bees take care of themselves, and Andros spends months in Brazil and nearby countries.

His father and uncle were natives of Oaxaca, Mexico, and Andros has long embraced the language and culture of that country, as well as South America.

In addition to English and Spanish, Andros speaks Brazilian Portuguese.

Raised in Walpole, he attended Fall Mountain Regional High School in Langdon and Northfield Mount Hermon in Gill, Mass. Two of his sisters live in the area, one in Walpole and one in Bellows Falls.

Andros attended the University of New Hampshire for a year and a half, but it wasn’t for him.

“I found out I could drop out and get half my money back, so I did it,” he recalled. “Those were crazy times.”

He spent weeks hitchhiking around the country before returning to New Hampshire.

Dave Priebe, the current apiary inspector for New Hampshire, said Andros has a gift for beekeeping.

“Charles is a unique character,” Priebe said. “He is one of our most senior and most experienced beekeepers. His apiaries are exemplary.

“I would rate Charles very, very high, in terms of his experience, the organization of his apiaries, his knowledge, his dedication to his bees, his understanding of the nectar flows.”

Rick Green can be reached at 603-352-1234, extension 1435, or rgreen@keenesentinel.com.

These articles are being shared by partners in the Granite State News Collaborative. For more information, visit collaborativenh.org.