It's a sweet living.

What began as a way to provide a sugar replacement to dairy workers during World War II has led a Saskatchewan family to become one of the country's largest honey producers.

"My father (Albert) started the business in 1940 because the family owned a dairy barn and sugar was being rationed. Honey was a good alternative for the workers," says Murray Hannigan, who owns Hannigan Honey with his wife Ruby.

From these humble beginnings, the company has grown to 20 employees and recently doubled its production line. During the peak summer season, the company has upwards of 3,000 hives and live populations rise to 80,000 bees. Semi trailer units holding up to 40,000 pounds of honey make frequent trips from the operation to markets throughout North America. Europe has also been an occasional marketplace.

During the early days, Albert quickly discovered he enjoyed working with bees and in 1948 moved the operation to Big River to take advantage of the abundance of alfalfa fields for honey production. When canola became a major crop further south, the business was relocated to its current location in Shellbrook, which is also noted for its forage production. All of these factors boosted honey production.

By 1990 the company had grown from about 300 to 1,200 hives and demand was continuing to escalate for its product. Most of this demand was from the bulk honey business.

"We sell honey to companies that market it under their own brands," explains Murray. "The honey is usually softened and placed in their containers. They use their own processes to ensure that the crystalline structure is smooth, because that's what the consumer wants."

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During the winter, the bees remain outside in their hives but are monitored to ensure their survival. In September and October, they are fed corn syrup to assist them through the winter. However, it's not unusual to see their numbers drop to about 20,000 during this period. Employees also provide routine maintenance to equipment during this period.

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When winter is over, the bees can be split into new hives to grow their numbers. Just like grain farmers, the Hannigans hope for a warm spring that will build bee population numbers. When canola and alfalfa fields are in full bloom, they begin extracting the honey from the combs.

The honey boxes are usually removed from the hives by mid-July and placed on the processing line. The honey is removed, collected in tanks, placed in drums and then transported to a storage facility. The important factor at this time is to keep the moisture content below 18 per cent to prevent spoilage. If it exceeds that amount, dryers are used to reduce it.

This process is repeated several times during the summer and the bees are generally finished producing their honey by mid-September.

However, though it all sounds pretty sweet, it's not always that simple.

"It's a constant challenge since new diseases always come along," says Murray. "We've had to continually deal with an internal parasite and are now being threatened by an external parasite. We have to deal with this on a regular basis." Insurance companies don't insure against bee losses, so beekeepers are directly responsible for keeping their hive numbers current.

Hannigan's Honey produces about 500,000 pounds of honey a year. In addition to the bulk market, it produces honey under its own brand for the local market. Since the bulk market is easily accessed and less time consuming, the company has not fully developed its own brand, but it is an area for future development.

The company also produces about 10,000 pounds of bees wax a year, which is sold mainly to a candle maker in British Columbia. Although many beekeepers consider processing (or handling) wax to be a pain, the company's new processing equipment takes much of the difficultly out of this task.

"We are looking at new product ideas," says Murray. "Freezing honey is becoming a popular trend. There's also growing demand for raw honey, which is basically straight from the tap and hasn't been filtered. People want it as close to the source as possible."

Murray credits the company's success to its careful and considered approach. It doesn't take major risks and change usually takes place on a sample basis before it is introduced to the entire operation.

"We use proven methods," he says. "My dad learned that the cautious approach worked well and even today he still provides us with solid advice on which direction we should be heading."