Digital audio recording (4 min.)
On Beekeeping, Jerry, Dadant & Sons, Bee Supply Store (2008)
One of my first immersive learning experiences with bees unfolded at the Dadant & Sons local bee supply store in High Springs, FL. Upon hearing about my interest in bees, Jerry Latner, the store’s manager, graciously walked me out to the front of the shop where several hives were located. After lighting a smoker, he cracked open the lid of a hive and gently pulled out a frame of comb crawling with bees. This was the first time I looked inside of a hive. For this initial lesson on bees, he explained their life cycle and beekeeping practices in Florida. His love for bees was infectious. I am forever grateful to Jerry for taking the time to show me inside of a hive. After this day, I was hooked.
Archival inkjet print, Untitled, Empty, stacked beehive boxes behind bee supply store in Florida (2008)
“The first time that we open the hive comes over us an emotion akin to that we might feel at profaning some unknown object, charged perhaps with dreadful surprise, as a tomb.”
Dadant & Sons started from “humble beginnings” in 1863, and has grown to serve the beekeeping industry nationwide. The dedicated people that keep the business running have done so through seven generations. You can find out more about the history here.