Interview with Wally Blohm
B=Beekeeper I=Interviewer
* Super: The bottom layer of the hive.
I: What do you enjoy about being a beekeeper?
B: It’s an interesting insect. It teaches so much about working together as a team and a group. It also teaches about depending on each other. Besides, it is the only hobby that you can make money.
I: How did you get your interest in beekeeping?
B: My brother was a beekeeper. One day I watched him will he was beekeeping. I asked for a book about honeybees. He gave me the book and I couldn’t put it down! I was so interested. Then I became a beekeeper.
I: How long have you been beekeeping?
B: 32 years.
I: Have you ever been afraid of the bees?
B: No.
I: What training did you have to go through to be a beekeeper?
B: I went to classes given by a master beekeeper. I read about honeybees and worked with honeybees. I’m still learning.
I: What specific things do you do as a beekeeper?
B: Well… in the spring I move up the two *super’s. I must reverse them.
I: What do you mean?
B: I move the top super to the bottom and the bottom super to the top.
I: Why do you think bees are so important?
B: 35% of fruits and vegetables have to be pollinated.
I: Really?
B: Yep.
I: Do you think you will ever stop enjoying bees?
B: No.
I: Do you only have one species of bees or many?
B: I have two different kinds. I have the Italian and Russian bees.
I: Are there Chinese or Japanese bees?
B: No. There are no Chinese or Japanese bees in the world.
I: How many times have you been stung on a daily basis and how do you cure it?
B: (chuckles). Thousands of times.
I: Really?
B: Yep. When I get stung I leave it alone. It takes care of itself. There is this substance in my skin that gets rid of the sting. It pumps blood that cleans the sting.
I: How is honey made then what do you do with the honey?
B: The bees collect nectar from the flowers and put it in their stomach. Then, when they get back to the hive they give it to the bees to put it in their stomachs. Then the honey evaporates. Then, we put the honey in the bottles.
I: How can you tell the difference between a male or female bee?
B:. The drones are the males and they are medium sized bees. The worker bees are females and they are smaller than the drones.
I: How can you tell the difference between a queen bee?
B: The queen bee is much bigger.
What is your job as a beekeeper?
