Jim Masucci is producing local wildflower honey in Ballwin with JDM Bees
For Jim Masucci, dedication and passion for beekeeping and bee research have blossomed into a thriving business offering an array of wildflower honey. JDM Bees is a family-owned business that sells honey produced by their bees across St. Louis County, Franklin County and St. Charles County. Masucci runs close to 200 hives and extracts honey twice a year. The yards are kept separate, a key component in the honey-making process that results in a range of honey profiles with distinct flavors unique to the JDM Bees brand.
As a honeybee researcher, Masucci, at one time, was running the largest honeybee field trials in the United States. Working with commercial beekeepers opened him up to the world of beekeeping and gave him the confidence to become a full-time beekeeper. A self-proclaimed science geek, Masucci finds the art of beekeeping to be a fascinating, life-long learning project.
“Bees are a little bit like chess, right?” he says. “You could spend a whole lifetime doing it and still get better. They're a very complicated organism. The hive is very complicated. The interaction with the environments are complicated, and so, being from a science background, they're just incredibly interesting and fascinating.” In addition to honey, Masucci supplies beeswax, nucs, and queens, and serves as a mentor to local beekeepers.
JDM honey ranges in color and flavor due to a wide array of variables such as weather, geography and availability of plants in the area. The lightest and most popular variety is black locust honey, which arrives in late spring and boasts a light, floral character. The summer wildflower honey ranges from a medium to dark color depending on the area the bees are kept as well as how rural the area is; more remote areas can result in a product with a deep caramel flavor and color.
All products are available for purchase on the JDM Bees website and can be picked up directly in Ballwin, in west St. Louis County. Masucci’s honey is also available for purchase at local stores such as The Fruit Stand in Ballwin, Local Harvest Grocery in Tower Grove and Sammy Soap in Kirkwood. If you’re dining out, you can try Masucci’s honey at restaurants such as Katie’s Pizza and Pasta, Anthonino's Taverna, and Mac’s Local Eats. “I very much appreciate it because they are committed to using locally sourced products,” he says, adding that he urges restaurants and retail customers to support local bees and the honey they produce. “If you really want some good quality stuff, buy it from a local beekeeper or store that's selling from local beekeepers.”
