Have allergies? A cut, burn or intestinal problems? Local honey may be the answer – and the source could be right in your backyard.

Hidden behind a chain-link fence and azalea bushes off Providence Road near Seminary Avenue is home base for as many as 300,000 bees that busily spend the hot summer months gathering nectar throughout Hampton.

Bill and Ellen McAllen started beekeeping 10 years ago after Ellen took a beekeeping course at Oregon Ridge Nature Center. As soon as the course ended, they jumped right in and mail-ordered three, 3-pound packages of bees, including a queen. They now have five active hives that produce anywhere from 60 to 150 pounds of honey each year.

“I’d like to produce more, but I’m just the CEO,” Bill joked. “The bees do all the work, I just give them a home."

McAllen said the weather between Mother's Day and Father's Day determines how much honey the bees will produce, because that’s when Baltimore County’s nectar flow is highest. Hot, dry weather with just a little rain is best for the bees, which gather nectar from the neighborhood’s abundant Black Locust and Tulip Poplar trees. They will travel up to a mile away in search of food to bring back to the hive.

Many of us have used honey in tea or warm water to ease a sore throat, but local honey has many other benefits. It’s a chemical-free antiseptic and anti-inflammatory; smooth it on cuts and burns to prevent infection.

Raw, natural honey also contains vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6 and Vitamin C, which can be lost in the pasteurization process. Honey helps ease intestinal issues, and it’s a natural moisturizer and brightener for your skin and hair.

Mix it with a little olive oil for a homemade conditioner, or with plain yogurt and oatmeal for a cleansing facial mask. Many people also believe eating a teaspoon of raw, local honey a day helps relieve allergies.

“New-agers and old-timers say, because it comes from local nectar, it [the pollen] gets your body immune to those allergens,” McAllen said.

Honey is also a natural, chemical-free sugar substitute. Although it contains more calories per teaspoon than table sugar [sucrose], it’s sweeter, so people tend to use less. Because it’s lower on the Glycemic Index Scale than table sugar, honey takes longer to absorb into your blood stream. McAllen said beekeeping is also a great way to be green.

“I can’t imagine how much energy it takes to produce a teaspoon of white sugar … from growing and harvesting the cane to the processing and shipping. If there were more beekeepers, think of the energy costs we’d save,” he said.

McAllen’s honey is not a name brand you’ll find in stores just yet. Bill is a professional photographer and has been for 25 years. Ellen has a full-time office job, so beekeeping is just a hobby for now.

“I like to sit at my hives and watch the bees take off like jets, straight up, then bend off to find more nectar in the blossoms,” he said.

They usually hold an annual “extracting” party with fellow beekeepers and then pour the honey into one-pound jars. Most are given to friends and neighbors. If you’re lucky, they’ll have some left for sale for $6 per jar.

You can find raw, local honey from some of Maryland's 1,531 registered beekeepers at markets like MOM'S Organic Foods in Lutherville, Whole Foods in Mount Washington, The Natural in Timonium and The Health Concern in Towson.

Next week we'll discuss why Towson's only donation-based yoga studio is changing its business plan and what that means for its students.