Testimonial

It takes a lot of bravery to face our fears.  I will take a guess that many readers can think of something they are super afraid of. Maybe it's spiders, snakes, the sight of blood, heights, a dark room...... you know what that 'thing' is for you.

Recently we had the honor of meeting with a young Fairfielder who was afraid of bees.  The sound of buzzing was scary.  He thought that bees might chase him and sting him.

He decided that he was going to learn more about bees and their importance in the world.  His dad came to our apiary and bought two childrens' books about bees and they spent a few days reading them together.  

The next week, this brave boy and his mom came to visit me and my husband Chris at the apiary.  We sat on the back deck and watched the bees work from afar.  We saw how busily they flew to the trees and flowers gathering nectar and pollen and then flew back to the hive to deliver their heavy loads. They were working so hard that they pretty much ignored us.

However, as we were talking, one tired bee flew up onto the deck near where we were sitting. Chris picked up the bee and, because she was pretty tired from flying all day, she sat quietly on his hand. Chris started talking to her (he always talks to the bees as he works in the hives). Before long, this brave boy started talking to her, too.  He even decided that he wanted to hold his new bee friend as he quietly talked to her. 

Talk about brave! This young man faced his fear and learned that the buzzing sound he had been afraid of was just the sound of the bee beating her wings more than 200 times a second. He learned that honey bees are usually busy working, not stinging.  He left the apiary with self-confidence, knowledge, and self-esteem.

It was a beautiful day for all of us.