On March 10, the first of two beekeeping seminars was held at Urban Roots Community Garden Center on 428 Rhode Island St.
Catherine Herrick, an Urban Roots board member, shared her 25 years of experience with the potential beekeepers who attended the two-hour seminar.The next seminar will be on April 21 at the garden center.
About 20 potential beekeepers filled the room during the first seminar.
“I was only expecting 10-12 people,” said Herrick.
The room was filled with the buzz of spring, as Herrick constantly answered the questions of people eager to start beekeeping.
Despite her initial fears over beekeeping, Herrick has found it rewarding.
“Being outside and being with bees, and seeing the bees in my garden is my favorite part,” said Herrick. “If my bees are happy, my garden is happy.”
Homemade honey is the other benefit of having one’s own hive. But, that honey doesn’t always taste like the honey one would find in a grocery store.
“My honey tastes a lot different than other honey,” said Herrick. “It has a mint flavor to it.”
Melissa Gardener, co-owner of Five-Points Bakery, deals directly with honey producers in Appleton and knows just how honey flavors can differ depending on what the bees collect pollen from.
“Honey tastes like what the bees are around,” said Gardener. “Blueberry honey tastes like blueberries.” By Michael Hargrave and Shayna McKie
