Sergey Volzhskiy loves the hot summer months. But it's not really about the weather.

Every year, leading up to this season, the 58-year-old Buford resident meticulously tends his Russian honeybees and tracks their health. He listens and learns the melodies of what he calls a particular hive's "symphony."

Vino Wong/AJC (ENLARGE)

Russian honeybees swarm around plastic cones where the queen bee lays her eggs.

Vino Wong/AJC (ENLARGE)

Sergey Volzhskiy is a third-generation beekeeper. He's also certified in apitherapy, the practice of using honeybee products to treat various medical conditions.

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When summer arrives, the time has come.

"It's harvesting season," he said.

Volzhskiy is a third-generation beekeeper. In addition to overseeing 200 to 300 colonies, he employs a unique migratory beekeeping system that allows him to slide a platform stacked with hives onto a trailer bed to move from one location to another.

He's also certified in apitherapy — the practice of using honeybee products to treat conditions like arthritis by using bee venom to alleviate joint pains. Volzhskiy said he's the only apitherapist he knows of in Georgia.

Volzhskiy's family owned business runs on the backs of 15.6 million tiny workers from 14 locations in the Buford area and up to Helen.

He touts the health benefits of bee products and has built his Russian beekeeping business, BORT, upon the philosophy that natural products such as honey can provide cures for the ailments of what he calls a generation of "McDonald's people."

For Volzhskiy, a bottle of his honey represents more than just a local, naturally made product. He says it's nature's medicine that can prevent someone from filling a prescription at a drugstore — like the one next door to his shop, he points out.

"One pill is designed to make you take another pill," he said.

Despite getting stung almost on a daily basis, Volzhskiy said he plans to continue his family's tradition, which began in St. Petersburg, Russia.

"This is my retirement plan," he said.

BEE FACTS

The average honey bee produces 1/12 teaspoon of honey in its lifetime.

• A worker bee's lifespan during the summer is 55 days.

• A queen bee can lay up to 3,000 eggs in one day.

• There is one queen bee per colony and 60,000 to 80,000 worker bees.

• A honeybee's wings stroke 11,400 times per minute, making a buzzing noise.

• Apitherapy dates back 2,000 years, where it was mentioned in ancient Chinese texts.

Sources: National Honey Board Web site; American Apitherapy Society Web site; Sergey Volzhskiy of BORT.