Source: CVDaily Feed
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Martin James enjoys serving as the official Bee Inspector for both Cache County and Rich County. He also enjoys being part of the local bee industry and meeting with bee hobbyists and others who just want to learn what bees are all about.
The Mendon resident says his fascination with bees started at the age of nine and learned early-on what bees like and don’t like. They don’t like the color black and they don’t like loud noises, he says. They like gentleness and they like places with plenty of water and fresh flowers.
James says people who are bothered by bees shouldn’t blame honey bees because 99 percent of the time problems are caused by wasps or yellow jackets.
He is pleased to see how many people are interested in bees and and in learning more about their contributions.
“The main thing is if you’re having a problem we probably need to meet and diagnose that problem and see what is going on,” James says. “Those are the ones that get most of my time.
“Sometimes hobbyists and backyard beekeepers bring their equipment to me to look at it. We diagnose it and see what we need to do and then correct the problem and move forward from there. I do a lot of house calls to inspect hives, generally only on the request of the beekeeper.”
James says he sees the state of the local bee industry as being, “very good” and he says in Cache Valley we are seeing a huge influx of beekeepers. Although bees are a lot of work and it would be hard to make enough money from it as a full-time job, it is something he enjoys every day of the year.
James says he enjoys getting together with hobbyist beekeepers and the Cache County Beekeepers Association meets the first Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Aggie Ice Cream building. He says it is a great organization and the beekeepers not only talk about their own experiences, but even about their favorite from-the-beehive recipes.