Beekeeping Needs This New Generation

By Will Simpson
Hidden Gem Reporter

MOSCOW, Idaho—A dirt-covered midway filled with activity stretches between the honey exhibit and the perfumed animal barns. But this might as well be a chasm as vast as the Grand Canyon in terms of the fair’s excitement. The Sweet Taste of Honey educational exhibit at the Latah County Fair is struggling to compete for attention with the swarm of activity around the FFA and 4H animal barns.

Fewer young people are showing interest in the primary pollinator of our food supply, and the community is starting to sense the buzz fading. If fairs like this can’t keep youth involved in beekeeping, the bees are in trouble.

"Over the years, the honeybee fair entries have declined," said Dave Glasebrook, a professional beekeeper who sponsored the Latah Country Fair, Sweet Taste of Honey contest.

At fairs like Latah’s, this reflects how vital parts of agriculture—like beekeeping—are failing to capture the interest and imagination of young people. Young people are disconnecting from learning about agriculture and leaning into social media. It's no longer cool to be active in the local fair anymore. As these exhibits fade, so too does the next generation of skilled agriculturalists and ecological activists.

“Honey frames are no longer presented for judging, and there were only four jars of honey exhibited this year and last year,” said Glasebrook.

Honeybee exhibits are disappearing at the fair, and that isn't good for both the bees and the future beekeepers. Furthermore, how can jars of honey compete with adorable animals? Do honeybees stand a chance when young people are showing cuddly farm animals, compared to a trifold posterboard on a long table, crowded amongst the home-baked pies and Lego structures in the concrete-floored metal building posing as the event center?

Despite these challenges, some young beekeepers are still finding inspiration through mentorship. "My hive mentor helps me with hive decisions and improvements, as well as improving my understanding and knowledge about bees," Sophie Johnson wrote on her first-place winning entry in the Sweet Taste of Honey contest at the Latah County Fair.

"Mentoring is part of the beekeeping business as the goal is to have successful beekeepers enjoying this gentle art rather than beekeepers who try for a year or two and drop away because of difficulties," said Glasebrook. Mentoring young beekeepers isn’t just a nice idea; it’s essential for the survival of the honeybee and the continuation of our food supply.

However, the vital role of bees in our ecosystem cannot be ignored. They are responsible for $30 billion worth of crops annually, making them essential to our food supply. "Without bees, we would have little to no crops; no crops mean no food, which means no life," Solveig Hunter wrote in her entry for the Sweet Taste of Honey contest and became the second-place winner at the Latah County Fair.

Mentorship isn’t just about training the next generation of beekeepers—it’s about creating a community of people who care deeply about preserving the planet’s pollinators.

Public awareness of beekeeping is dimming, but local fairs could be the key to engaging future generations in the mission to save these vital pollinators.

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Sources:
• Dave Glasebrook, a professional beekeeper who sponsored the Latah Country Fair, Sweet Taste of Honey contest, personal communication, Sept. 14, 2024
• Britt Heisel, Production Specialist at the Latah County Fair and Events Center, personal communication, Sept. 13, 2024
• Robert Kunasek, Apiarist Digg Bee Honey, personal communication, Sept. 14, 2024
• What would happen if bees went extinct? (20 14, May 2). BBC Future. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20140502-what-if-bees-went-extinct