Group shares the buzz on bees
Article content
David Bowen was turned onto beekeeping by a demonstration at the Norfolk County Fair and Horse Show.
It was there he connected with his apiculture mentor.
“I have a couple of acres here and I saw that the bees were in trouble,” he explained from his home outside of Port Dover. “I thought, ‘if I have a hive or two I'll be doing my part’.”
He is now in his third year and his passion for beekeeping continues to expand.
Bowen is the current president of the Haldimand-Norfolk Beekeepers Association and hopes to see the organization expand.
“We currently have 25 members but we're aiming at 225,” he said.
As a technical business consultant, Bowen understands communication is important and he is using his time as president to help make the association more accessible to interested people and to help open up a dialogue.
The association recently launched a website. While still under construction, it provides information on meetings, contact information and other important links.
It will soon also provide information on introduction to beekeeping classes.
“(Beekeeping) is kind of like learning about the stars. There is so much and there is still so much we don't know,” said Bowen.
The association is also working on outreach to farmers. They are in the beginning stages of creating a partnership with the Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) in the area.
Working with farmers in the area is important because in recent years there has been controversy over the use of pesticides called neonicotinoids. Beekeepers blame the use of such pesticides on mass bee deaths.
“They were under-tested,” said Bowen. “We just don't know enough about them.”
Bowen believes the solution is to stop pointing fingers but to work with farmers to find alternative solutions.
“We can't have an us-them mentality,” he said.
Bowen's other focus is to help build the business of local honey producers.
“I want to help the person selling honey at the end of their driveway, I want to help the person with three or four cases and I want to help the person selling warehouses,” he said.
The Haldimand-Norfolk Beekeepers Association meets on the second Wednesday of the month from January until the beekeeping season starts.
For more information, visit www.halnorbeekeepers.com.
Sarah Doktor
519-426-3528 ext. 112