Superior fifth-grader is a beekeeper training
Next to her beautifully painted bee hive, Ayla Henderson received her very own colony of bees to raise and get hands-on experience while beekeeping at the Benson Homestead in Superior. (Mineral Independent/Amy Quinlivan)
Ayla Henderson, from Superior wears her bee suit for the first time. The traditional protective gear was purchased for her by Katie Benson who is sponsoring Henderson as a junior beekeeper at their apiary. (Mineral Independent/Amy Quinlivan)
11-year-old Ayla Henderson of Superior has the buzz on bees.
The ambitious fifth-grader who is fond of hives, swarms and honey is now a junior beekeeper working alongside Katie Benson in her bee yard at the Benson Homestead in Superior.
On May 4, the aspiring apiarist set up her first official hive, commonly called a nuc. A nucleus colony is one of the simplest ways for beekeepers to begin a new colony. Nucs are nothing more than frames of comb that are removed from an established hive.
“After I got my bee box and painted it, and got ready to put the bees in, it hadn’t really sunk in that I was getting my very own hive,” beamed Henderson.
It was a dream come true for the young girl who fell in love with the apiculture process through a school field trip in the second grade to the Rivulet Apiary in Alberton.
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