Last weekend I attended the Virginia State Beekeepers Association Fall Meeting. It was a really interesting conference, with discussions on pheromones, mites on adult bees, integrated pest management, preparing for a honey show, and running a bee festival. Best conference we’ve had in a while here in Virginia, if I may say so, and of course talking with other beekeepers was much of the fun.

We also had cake! Bees came to Virginia 400 years ago in 1622, and we celebrated with a concoction of sugar and flour.

Bees arrived in Virginia on the first colony ships. The settlers didn’t understand pollination, but they did understand that wax was needed to make candles and have light in the evenings. So they brought bees for their wax and their honey. There were (are) lots of native bees in the New World, so they probably didn’t need to honey bees for pollination in the early days. Now, of course, our agriculture industry wouldn’t survive without honey bees. Here is a write-up of their journey (sorry for the reflections).

May you prosper and find honey.