Community Hero: Mountain City beekeeper educates others about pollinators
They buzz, sting and are generally not welcome around people. However, bees are crucial to the survival of humanity’s food sources and ecosystem. This week’s Community Hero is doing her part to make sure bees thrive and educates others about her passion.
Janice Friend said her first bee experience was electric.
“I felt like I got hit by lightning,” she said. “So I started going to bee clubs and buying books about bees, and I bought bees and I just started doing it, learning along the way.”
“In the springtime, when the queen is just laying like crazy and you put on that bee suit and you lift that lid and the bees just come out, there’s a closeness to nature,” Friend said. “You feel that? I think I’m very fortunate. Not a lot of people get to have that real connection, I think, with nature.”
Friend loves collecting honey and takes visitors through the process. She doesn’t profit from collecting honey; instead, she gives away full amber jars to others.
“Well, I want people to know that it is very rewarding,” she said. “Not just that you get honey at the end, but that you are helping a creature that needs our help and that you’re you’re helping nature. I mean, even the wildflowers need pollination by bees.”
She is always asked if she gets stung. The answer is yes, she does. However, she keeps her sense of humor. She’s gotten used to it, and she said it’s a small price to pay.
“It’s just wonderful. It really is,” she said. “It just fills your soul. It is great to have that intimate look at nature.”
It’s an intimate look that helps these pollinators keep the ecosystem healthy.
“I know it’s just a tiny piece, but if we all did a tiny piece, that would be great,” Friend said.
To learn more about beekeeping, visit Mountain City Beekeepers’ website.
