Saturday, August 27, 2011

Introducing Beekeeping to the Next Generation

One day this summer while Mark was at the Barhams' Bee Yard, their granddaughter Elizabeth expressed an interest in learning more about the bees. Sarah served as the documentary photographer from a distance, and Elizabeth suited up in my gear to get a closer look at the hives.  She is adorable!


 Mark loves to talk about bees, and was thrilled with her interest.  She had a great time and found the process intriguing.  Even if she never becomes a beekeeper, she hopefully left with a better understanding of the role bees play in pollination and a new appreciation for honey.


Unfortunately for Sarah, one of the hives swarmed while they were there and came flying straight towards her . . . and she didn't have any gear on.  Even though she knows bees aren't aggressive while swarming she was unnerved. For those who know Sarah you understand that "unnerved" means completely freaked out and screaming. When I asked her if she followed them into the woods to see where they went she looked at me like I was insane.

I guess she won't be apprenticing any time soon.