Truly bee-witching!

My week ends in Silang, Cavite will never bee complete without a trip to the Ilog Maria farm. Every time we have a guest (especially foreign), we bring them to this farm and they thank us profusely for such a wonderful experience.

When you are along Aguinaldo Highway driving away from the Tagaytay rotunda (and way past Santi’s and Café Gourmet) watch for a mid-size billboard of Ilog Maria that signals a sharp right turn to a rough but clear farm road that leads to the bee farm.

Each visit provides new lessons from the walking science encyclopedia (or mad scientist, as he likes to admit) Joel Magsaysay and a harvest of new products from the highly creative Boleng. The latter is Joel’s soft-spoken but strong and intelligent wife. Even their personality contrast – Joel is the exuberant one – lends a lot of charm to the quaint setting.

On our first visit, we were introduced to Joel’s own blend of local coffee while listening to his exodus from the corporate jungle that is Makati and his bee colonies. They didn’t have a proper store then. Next visit was focused on poking our forefingers straight into the honey comb, a frightening proposition until you feel the sticky honey and taste its delightful freshness.

On another visit, we were enthralled by a factory tour and how much simple yet intelligent backyard technologies work (or how this intelligent couple made them work). The next trip was spent checking out the product store. Then the herb garden and more new products. Surprises in this farm never end.

Working Bees

Joel teasingly but rightfully says that he has thousands of workers but they are not unionized, there are no maternity benefits, paid leave credits and unexcused absences, yet his workers are naturally productive.

The European honey bees that the Magsaysays have produce such an abundance of honey that humans can harvest the excess. The largest bee in the colony, the queen, mates in flight with approximately 18 drone (male) bees. The queen starts to lay eggs about 10 days after mating. A productive queen can lay 3,000 eggs in a single day. Her life span is about two years.

Workers, the smallest bees in the colony, are sexually undeveloped females. A colony can have up to 60,000 workers. Unlike the queen, the worker’s life expectancy is approximately 28 to 35 days. Workers feed the queen and larvae, guard the hive entrance and help keep the hive cool by fanning their wings.

Worker bees also collect nectar to make honey. In addition, honeybees produce wax comb. The comb is composed of hexagonal cells that have walls that are only 2/1000-inch thick, but support 25 times their own weight. Honey bees’ wings stroke 11,400 times per minute, thus making their distinctive buzz.

The Ilog Maria Story

"I started keeping bees at Ilog Maria 25 years ago with just a few bee colonies. My wife, Boleng, is also a beekeeper. Together with our four children, we now run about 800 bee colonies and produce ripe, unfiltered honey; natural bee pollen pellets; raw propolis; fresh royal jelly; scented beeswax candles; honey, beeswax, and propolis soap and shampoos; honey cider vinegar; and many other natural bee products," Joel proudly states.

Accounts of how he and Boleng started and maintained the farm can be seen in their website but it is always better to hear the story straight from the captivating Joel. "Ilog Maria Bee Products are always packed fresh from our beehives so that they retain their full nutritive and medicinal values. Ilog Maria Virgin honey is ripened by our honeybees from pure floral nectar. It is rich in beneficial pollen, vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes with traces of royal jelly and propolis," he adds.

To a layman, bee propolis may be an unfamiliar product. For our info, Joel says: "Bee propolis is nature’s most powerful antibiotic. Propolis is a sticky, resinous substance secreted by flowering buds under the bark of trees. Our honeybees collect propolis to seal, varnish and, thus, disinfect the insides of their beehives. Propolis possesses antiviral, antibacterial and fungicidal properties. It is even capable of destroying some bacteria that have now become resistant to modern synthetic antibiotics."

He adds, "Propolis is effective against infections of the skin, mouth, throat, respiratory and digestive systems. It stimulates tissue regeneration, antibody formation, and strengthens the immune system. It is also effective in treating hypertension, arteriosclerosis and coronary disease. Dermatological disorders and rheumatism respond to propolis therapy. Propolis is a potent antioxidant, which combats the ill effects of eating processed and preserved foods."

Gentle European Honeybees

The husband-and-wife team of Joel and Boleng is bee-witched by the gentle European honeybees. "They are manageable and productive. They allow us to harvest many nutritive and medicinal products from their beehives," Joel explains. "Keeping honeybees is very wholesome. We are always outdoors in sunshine and fresh air. It is quiet work, very much like tai chi or quigong, and is totally absorbing. It allows us to work amid nature and enjoy a natural lifestyle."

Joel relates with authority, "Our honeybees are totally dependent on flowers for their food. We have planted a variety of fruit trees, coffee and hardwood trees on the farm. As summer approaches, we are always looking for flowers in bloom in the cool highlands of Cavite. We move our bees to areas in bloom where we leave our beehives to gather fresh nectar, which they ripen into honey Starting October, our bees gather nectar and pollen from profuse flowers of mango, calamansi, wild sunflower, avocado, sweet potato, annatto, coconut, mimosa, acacia, narra, Philippine mahogany, wild herbs, vines and grasses, coffee, papaya, pineapple, madre de cacao, tamarind."

With their passion for bee-keeping and creating all possible products that can be derived from beeswax, pollen, etc., it must be difficult for the Magsaysays to go slow. However, keeping life and everything simple seems to be their only guiding motto in their happily serene life on the farm.

Best-Selling Products

Boleng is proud of her products. The soaps are so dense they last almost a month compared to the very expensive soaps sold in the malls. The fragrance lasts and the exfoliating elements are aplenty.

One of my personal favorites, that Boleng swears to be a bestseller, is the cinnamon and oatmeal health soap bar. This soap of beeswax and honey propolis is scented with oil of cinnamon. Everyone knows that oatmeal exfoliates and soothes the skin. A bar of this soap with its dramatic swirl patterns is about P70.

Another personal favorite and best-selling soap is the spearmint and oatmeal health soap. A combination of honey, beeswax and propolis, it is scented with oils of spearmint and peppermint. The refreshing and uplifting bar cools and exfoliates. This is available in 100 grams for P65. Again, this can last even more than a month with a single user.

The honey-glycerin bar scented with the oil of the sampaguita flower is another bestseller. Boleng beams that this is their top-of-the-line, premium facial soap. It deep cleanses yet is extremely mild. A hundred grams cost P80.

Though it did not make it to the bestseller list, one of my must-buy in Boleng’s shop is the coffee and cream soap. This body soap of beeswax, propolis, and honey is scented with coffee oil and real coffee grounds from the Ilog Maria coffee farm. Popular for its deodorizing and scrubbing action, I love it more for its heavenly smell. A definite pick-me-up for morning showers. Truly energizing. A hundred grams cost P65.

There are more bee-witching products but they are better appreciated up close and personal. Visit the Magsaysays at Ilog Maria, Km 47, Aguinaldo Highway, Silang, Cavite, telefax 63-46-8650018, mobile 63-912-3187517. Or have a sneak preview by going to www.ilogmaria.com.

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E-mail mylene@goldsgymmanila.com for questions and comments.