I like bee hives because they are interesting. There are male and female bees in a hive. They have different jobs. The worker bees are all females. Some of the different jobs of the females are to take care of the eggs, guard the hive, build the comb, make the honey, and gather nectar for the honey. The male bees, or drones, are larger than the females and have big eyes. They only have one job, which is to mate with the queen. In my hive, I will estimate the number of drones and eggs about once a week for a few months. I will use this information to figure out how the number of drones affects the number of eggs and then report this information to the Association. I like learning about bees and I am excited to get a hive so that I can learn more.

Rebekah J.
Age 9

My name is Rebekah and I want to be a beekeeper. Bees pollinate plants we need to eat and plants make oxygen for the air we breathe. I sell cherry tomatoes every year and having my own hive would help my plants to grow. If I were a beekeeper, I would sell some honey but I would make sure that my bees got profit, too. I want to teach people how to take care of bees. There are 20,000 types of bees. We need to make sure that none of these species dies. I will report on the health of my hive and how my bees are helping my garden to grow. I will also report about the ways I am teaching my friends and neighbors about bees. My hope is that when people see me taking care of my bees, they will want to protect and take care of bees just like me.

Julianne Z.
Age 12

The Honey Bee is of most vital importance to mankind because of its pollination and honey production. It was brought to North America in the 17th century by settlers whose design probably was to use it in the domesticated way that we do now. It has been found to be very domesticated if treated correctly and gently by its owner. The most common Honey Bee has black and yellow bands, two compound eyes, and the three body parts that identify an insect. It can be distinguished from other species of bees by the pattern of the veins on its wings.

In exchange for the opportunity to own and keep a hive of bees, I have decided to keep special watch over my hive in search of the patterns and unique habits native to the Honey Bee. Some of these are: the amount of honey, the difference that weather makes in the flight patterns and general activity of the hive, how rapid the growth and reproduction process is as well as watching for diseases and other pests. If any diseases or pests try to make home in my hive, I will dispose of them correctly, in order to keep my bees safe and happy.  I understand the responsibilities and opportunities that come and anticipate them excitedly. I expect it to be an opportunity and privilege to be able to study the honey bees closer than ever possible before.

It will be an opportunity of great worth to me and a joy to work with the bees. I feel privileged to be a part of this contest and thank you for putting this together and considering my essay. I love insects; they will be a pleasure to work with more closely. The bees will be a wonderful part of my life and education. Thank you.     

Alyse M.
Age 14

My Name is Alyse. I would like to start beekeeping. I love to watch animals in nature, and learn about them. I own seven pets, but I don’t think I’m finished yet. I am very fascinated by these little organisms. I would like to become knowledgeable in science, to do my part in growing the populations and I wish to follow after my neighbor who is a beekeeper.

One of the reasons I would like to be a beekeeper is for my need scientific knowledge about the bees. As I have mentioned before, I like watching nature. I want to observe myself hoe the bees are to communicate, and what they are saying. How does this communication affect the stability of the hive and how they are with the queen? The most interesting question I have to know is how on earth the bees consider a place a ‘good’ location for a hive. I hope that if I was a beekeeper, I would be able to answer these questions.

Another reason I wish to be a beekeeper is because I understand how important it is to have bees. The bees are dropping across the world. That’s bad, because bee important for the plants. The bees help to pollinate the plants. Wind can pollinate, but bees are better. Another and probably the most important fact about having bees, is for food production. With bees to pollinate the plant food the more plentiful our fresh food production is. I think with the more bees we have, the more benefit for us to have food.

The final reason why I would like to be a beekeeper is because of the influence of my dear neighbor. My neighbor is in fact a beekeeper. I have spent my times watching my neighbor at work with the bees. It fascinates me to hear of the many things which he has taught me. I like learning from him. I wouldn’t have to just think of him either. My dad became good friends with him. That’s how I am acquainted with him. I hope that I can be as well a beekeeper as him.
I have told you my three main reasons of why I want to be a beekeeper is to fuel my scientific knowledge of things, to do my part in keeping these important animals around, as well as teach my friends. The final reason, I would like to be just like my neighbor. I hope that you would accept me as a future beekeeper.

Hunter J.
Age: 14

My name is Hunter, I am 14 years old.  I am very interested in beekeeping and decided to research how to be a beekeeper.  My sources for research included the websites 'YouTube' and 'Wikipedia', as well as the books 'Beekeeping for Dummies', and 'Idiot's Guide to Beekeeping'.  From these sources, I am learning about how to start a beehive, how to check up on your bees, what equipment is needed etc.  I am also learning about the different types of bees, the anatomy of a bee, and the purpose or use for the each parts of the bee.  Another interesting part to beekeeping is how to extract honey without using an extractor.  The learning process has been fun and I hope to build and expand on what I have learned already.

Some things that I will be watching with my brother Arie (if we are successful in getting a hive), will be observing the bees' life cycle from an egg to larva, then pupa and finally to a full bee.  I learned I will need to watch for each egg to determine if the the queen bee is doing her job by laying the eggs. (I will probably borrow my Dad's reading glasses and use them as a magnifier!)  I then plan to watch the larva and document progress by taking pictures on a digital camera, so I can zoom in on the larva and see how they are coming out.  I'll also take pictures of the pupa as it grows to the full-size bee, and document what it does when it gets out of its comb. I hope to have watched and documented the whole life cycle of the bee from start to finish.

Another thing I will watch is how much honey they make in the supers.  I will do this by checking how many frames have been filled, and how often.  I will record this in writing, and keep a tally as I go along.  I will also need to look for diseases or mites.  If any appear to be present, I will document it and try to fix the problem so that it won't cause issues for the rest of the hive, or make the bees suffer.  I am very interested in learning whether a person who has allergies to pollen, can lessen their allergies if they eat locally produced honey.

If I am accepted into this program, I will commit to attending all necessary meetings, and retaining good records of my progress to report back to the Association.  I hope to be a beekeeper and learn more as I go through the program.  Thank you for taking your  time to read my essay.