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Subject: Orange County, NC Beekeepers

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: David Eckert <daveckert AT gmail.com>
  • To: Orange County Beekeepers Association <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [ocba] Mentoring
  • Date: Sat, 7 Mar 2015 12:49:35 -0500

Hi again everyone,

As many of you know, the 2015 Bee School will be wrapping up soon and we'll have quite a few new beekeepers starting their new hives in the next month or so.  I'm sure most of us can remember how fantastic, exciting and strange that process was.  And I remember very vividly how for the rest of the summer I seemed to create new ways to make mistakes every time I opened them up.  I also remember a certain very patient experienced beekeeper that reminded me over and over again of what I had just learned in the class but promptly forgot as soon as I got a hive tool in my hand.  He also showed me what I should be looking for at that point in the year and generally just helped me get my new hives through that first winter.  

Well, our fellow new beekeepers could use that kind of help too and if you've had bees for a 2 years or more then you can help.

You can start by updating your entry on the OCBA map as my last email requested and putting in your entry that you'd be willing to help new beekeepers.  

You can also say "Yes" when I or one of our newest beekeepers contacts you about being a mentor.   

So, you say you don't have enough experience to be a mentor?  Well, can you start a hive from a package of bees?  Can you help someone determine if there's a laying queen in their hive?  Do you know when and why you should feed your bees?  Do you know how to check varroa levels?  And what your options are when the levels are too high?  Do you know what orientation flights look like?  Can you spot pollen coming in and determine when the bees are gathering nectar?  And finally, do you know who to ask when you have questions that you're not sure about?  If you said Yes to all of these (and most of you did) then you can help a newbeekeeper and be a mentor.

So, what's the time commitment?   It's usually a couple of hours on 3 to 5 days between March and October.  It's answering a few emails and/or phone calls.  Then the rest is up to you.  It's really not all that much and in my experience you benefit from this as much as the new beekeepers do.  

When I have been a mentor over the past 5 years I've met some great people and made some new friends.  I've learned a few new tricks.  And I've become a better beekeeper (because there's nothing like helping someone learn how to do something to make you learn it more thoroughly).  Plus, being a mentor counts towards your service credits in the Master Beekeeping Program.  

So, if and when either I or a new beekeeper approaches you about being a mentor to some new beekeepers please consider saying Yes.

Thanks and if you have any questions about being a mentor please let me know,
David





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