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Karyn Frist, an avid gardener, has always been curious about bees and beekeeping. She loved the idea of doing something to help the environment through pollination. As is well documented, pollinators are crucial to a healthy ecosystem — and their populations are rapidly declining. For Karyn, the catalyst was the pandemic, when seemingly everyone was exploring new hobbies, so she took the plunge to become an apiarist and do something to help in her corner of the world. After some research, she reached out to Ian Dawe of The Honey Collective, and he helped mentor her through the process. He still helps Karyn manage her hives to this day. One of the most exciting experiences of the early days in Karyn’s beekeeping was receiving her first queen and feeling a rush of excitement for the new adventure.

Bees can cover incredible distances. While they visit close to 5,000 flowers in a day, they might have to roam three to five miles from the hive to find a diverse source of food. One of Karyn’s neighbors sweetly remarked that she was certain Karyn’s bees were visiting her garden each day; she watched them buzz through her flowers in the morning and return to the hive each evening.

While Karyn has found personal fulfillment with this new hobby, she is particularly interested in the legacy she will leave for her grandchildren: “Some of my grandchildren love going with me, and others are a tad afraid. I just hope that I am teaching them that it is our responsibility to take care of the environment any way we can. They love to help harvest the honey, and some of them take honeycombs to school for classmates to sample.” To keep both Karyn and her grandchildren as sting-free as possible, she owns five bee suits — two adult suits and three child-sized suits. 

She is quick to note that stings can happen. She once had someone arrive to help with her hives with a hood, gloves, and no bee suit. No sooner had work started than a bee found its way inside the gentleman’s pant leg. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured, except maybe the gentleman’s pride. While a funny anecdote, the lesson for Karyn was to keep learning. Whether it’s the proper gear for beekeeping or the origins of bees themselves, continuing to learn throughout life is one of the greatest gifts we can give to ourselves — and to future generations.