Photo by Don Hankins licensed under CC 2.0

Paul Longwell a Washington State Library IT specialist by day is a Beekeeper by night. Paul recently told us about his participation in the Washington State Beekeeping Association apprentice beekeeper program.   In order to reach the highest level of Master Beekeeper it takes six years of study. To prepare for the exams you need several hard to find references from both State and Federal documents. But have no fear, Paul works in a library! On searching our catalog he discovered that we had every single one of them. The Washington Beekeeping Association now uses these resources for their Journeyman training classes.

To name just a few:

Evaluating honey bee colonies for pollination a guide for commercial growers and beekeepers

Bee pollination of tree fruits

Beekeeping in the United States

So if honey or bees are your passion, remember the Washington State Library is a sweet spot to study and learn more about your hobby.