by Nathan Boddy
One of this year’s winners at the International Wildlife Film Festival was a production by wildlife film maker, Martin Dohrn, called, “My Garden of 1000 bees.” The film, which won the ‘Best Animal Behavior’ category, shows an in depth look at some of the over sixty types of bees that regularly visit the filmmaker’s backyard in Bristol, England. In one of the most telling lines of the film, Dohrn refers to bees in general as being, “the center of the world’s pollination services.”
As temperatures begin to climb, those ‘pollination services’ are being met in the Bitterroo Valley by hundreds of thousands of bees, many of which owe partial gratitude to the Beekeepers of the Bitterroot. The local organization was formed as an information sharing venue for what they call, ‘newbees’ and ‘wannabees’ in the area.
Richard and Tracy Norman have been keeping bees for years, but Richard only recently stepped up as President of Beekeepers of the Bitterroot when things had slowed down during the Covid pandemic. Richard Norman says that the organization has a changing level of participation as people learn the ropes.
“A lot of people pass through the club,” he says. “A lot of bee keepers get started with the club but many of them know what they’re doing after a few years.”
Beekeepers of the Bitterroot offers a mentoring program for people who are just getting started with apiary projects, but that isn’t the group’s only outreach effort. Norman says that the organization also participates in the 4th Grade Farm Fair, as well as the Ravalli County Fair during which time they set up an observation hive. The organization also does inspections to aid beekeepers in registering their hives with the state Department of Agriculture. Spreading that knowledge is apparently having an impact since much of the county is now within a short distance of some registered hive.
Getting one’s start with beekeeping requires two to three hundred dollars of investment on equipment, and then the bees themselves, which can be over $100. Like any project of this type, Norman points out that it can be frustrating since there is never and guarantee. The payoff, however, can quite literally be sweet.
In addition to their time with the Beekeepers of the Bitterroot, Richard and Tracy own and operate the Bee Happy Honey Farm and can be found at the Hamilton Farmers Market every Saturday selling their wares. Richard describes himself as an introvert, generally, but clearly enjoys being at the market and answering questions about their wide variety of infused honeys which include cinnamon, jalapeño, garlic, and lemon.
A parting buzz: a honeybee’s wings beat around 11,400 times per minute, which gives them that sound we’re so familiar with.