VOA慢速英语--夫妻档养蜂人在新冠疫情期间开始营业

James Cook and his wife Samantha Jones started their beekeeping work eight years ago.

"You have to be a little crazy," Cook said. He and Jones knew the problems their bees face. These include harmful organisms called parasites¹ and insect-killing farm chemicals.

Even so, they were hopeful. The year 2020 was to be their year to go into business on their own after working several years for another beekeeper.

Cook, Jones and their bees spent the past winter in California's huge almond farms. In the spring, the farms, or orchards², are full of white flowers that turn into nuts. The crop is possible because of the many beekeepers who travel with their hives to pollinate the nation's crops.

Then the coronavirus health crisis hit. Cook and Jones became concerned.

"Do we stay? Do we go?" they asked each other. By that time, they had taken their hives from California's San Joaquin Valley to another temporary home. Their plan was to let the bees recover from the agricultural work and their contact with farm chemicals.

There, they raised "nucs." These are groups of bees with new queens that can be used to start a new hive. The couple sells them to other beekeepers to replace bees that are lost over a season. Selling nucs and almond pollination³ represent about two-thirds of their business. The other one-third is honey-making. They make honey during the summer at their permanent base -- a farm in Wisconsin.

Agricultural workers are considered essential. Beekeeping generally does not require Jones and Cook to be near other people. So, they decided⁴ to wait out the coronavirus restrictions⁵ in California. Then they returned with their bees back to Iola, Wisconsin. There, they set out to create their brand, Bird and the Bees Honey.

The bird is their parrot, which often rides in their truck. The parrot also happens to like honey.

This summer, Cook and Jones and their small crew worked day and night to build a honey factory out of old truck trailers. They were extremely tired and in debt because they took loans to get the business up and running. But they were also excited.

The 38-year-old Jones noted⁶ how much of the honey available in stores is mixed and cooked. "And I thought that people deserved good honey," she said.

Unlike other agricultural crops, honey also can be stored for a long time. That is a good thing for Cook and Jones, because coronavirus restrictions have left them with fewer places to sell their products. Farmers markets' have been limited. So have restaurants and breweries⁷. Such businesses also buy and use honey.

Cook, who is 35, said the experience of starting a business in these difficult times will make them more resilient.

"I think beekeeping sort of taught me...you kind of need to look for the optimism and the beauty that you can find," he says.

Words in This Story

crazy –adj. foolish or unreasonable⁸

hive –n. a place where bees live

pollinate –v. to give a plant pollen⁹ from another plant of the same kind so that it will produce seeds and reproduce

solitary¹⁰ –adj. separate from other people or things

brand –n. a kind of product identified by its own name that is made by a company which sells and markets the product

deserve –v. that someone should have or be given something

resilient –adj. about to become strong, healthy or successful after something bad happens, able to come back into shape after being pulled or stretched

optimism –n. a feeling or belief that good things will happen in the future

1 parasites   

寄生物( parasite的名词复数 )； 靠他人为生的人； 诸虫

参考例句：

• These symptoms may be referable to virus infection rather than parasites. 这些症状也许是由病毒感染引起的，而与寄生虫无关。
• Kangaroos harbor a vast range of parasites. 袋鼠身上有各种各样的寄生虫。

2 orchards   

（通常指围起来的）果园( orchard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They turned the hills into orchards and plains into granaries. 他们把山坡变成了果园，把平地变成了粮仓。
• Some of the new planted apple orchards have also begun to bear. 有些新开的苹果园也开始结苹果了。

3 pollination   

n.授粉

参考例句：

• The flowers get pollination by insects.这些花通过昆虫授粉。
• Without sufficient pollination,the growth of the corn is stunted.没有得到充足的授粉，谷物的长势就会受阻。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 breweries   

酿造厂，啤酒厂( brewery的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• In some cases, this is desirable, but most breweries prefer lighter-type beers. 在一些情况下，这是很理想的，但是大多数啤酒厂更倾向于生产酒度较低的啤酒。
• Currently, there are 58 breweries producing Snow Beeracross the country. 目前，全国共有58个雪花啤酒厂。

8 unreasonable   

adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的

参考例句：

• I know that they made the most unreasonable demands on you.我知道他们对你提出了最不合理的要求。
• They spend an unreasonable amount of money on clothes.他们花在衣服上的钱太多了。

9 pollen   

n.[植]花粉

参考例句：

• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。
• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。

10 solitary   

adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士

参考例句：

• I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
• The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。