Give me a break!: Explore the world of bees with Erika the beekeeper

I came from a farm home in Thailand, where there are several kinds of animals and insects. A kind of insect that I’ve been familiar with is bees. We had big beehives inside our old wooden house for years. Everyday, some bees got into the house and we learned to be extra careful not to step on them. However, I got stung a few times. It didn’t make me scared of them nor like them more. I was too naive to know how valuable bees are to the environment until getting to watch a video by Erika Thompson, a beekeeper who scoops bees with her bare hands. 

Who is she and what does she do? 

Erika Thompson is a professional beekeeper in Texas who founded Texas Beeworks, a beekeeping company. The company’s mission is to “preserve, protect, and increase bee populations across the Lone Star State by helping bees and beekeepers thrive.” Thompson also educates people and raises awareness about bees through making YouTube videos while doing her job. What amazes me most is that she normally doesn’t use any bee protection when she works with them. 

Why should you watch her videos?

• You’ll get to learn about  bees’ life cycle – including different kinds of bees, what a beehive looks like inside, how to tell if a hive is healthy or not, how to place a hive in a hive container based on its original order, interesting facts about a queen bee and the influence she has on other bees.  

• You’ll get to observe different bee handling techniques from a professional beekeeper – Thompson is a great educator; she gives clear and concise explanations about each process when working with bees. She demonstrates different techniques for different types of beehives and emphasizes how important it is to be patient and stay calm. Transferring bees from an old hive to a new one can take hours.

• You’ll be amazed by nature – Nature is always fascinating. It’s an eye-opening experience to get to witness and understand the structure of a bee colony with a bee expert. Thompson even said that it’s a “privilege” to have the opportunity to see the inside of a beehive, to spot a queen, to observe larvae and honey, and above all to help preserve them. 

It’s worth spending a bit of your break time watching Thompson taking care of bees. Not only is it satisfying and feeds your curiosity, but it also emphasizes the benefits of bees towards the planet. As bees help reproducing plants – our food source – by pollinating, they are one of the most important reasons why we still have food to eat today. Bee populations, however, are declining due to climate change. So, preserving them and helping support local beekeepers is more important than ever. Check out these seven ways to save bees and support beekeepers and share this article with your friends!