‘Bee Charmer’ to share secrets at gardening seminar

July 05, 2009 01:20 am

— When we think of bees, there are a couple of images that come to mind.
Bees bring life to gardens but can sometimes be painful to humans. There are numerous types of bees as well, from honey bees and carpenter bees to the famed Africanized, or “killer” bees. It is important to know more about the importance of bees to our well being, especially when it comes to gardening.
On July 16 Rockwall County Master Gardener Janet Rowe will be presenting a seminar entitled “The Amazing Life of Bees!” as the topic for the quarterly Art of Gardening Seminar. This event is held cooperatively by Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Hunt County Master Gardeners, and the W. Walworth Harrison Public Library in Greenville. The program will begin at 6 p.m. at the library.
Rowe, known as the Bee Charmer, has been involved in beekeeping for more than 50 years and is a third generation beekeeper. She is a licensed structural pest control operator specializing in live honeybee capture and relocation. She divides her time between removing bees from people’s homes and beekeeping. She has been keeping bees in Texas since the 1980s.
In addition to being a Rockwall County Master Gardener, Rowe is a member of the American Beekeeping Federation, Texas Beekeeping Association, and Collin County Hobby Beekeepers Association. She mentors young beekeepers through the county club and serves on the Creation Care Committee at Rockwall United Methodist Church. She maintains hives in Collin, Hunt, Kaufman and Rockwall counties.
As part of the seminar, Rowe will cover Life in the Hive, Pollination, Honeybee Problems, and other interesting topics. As has become a tradition at Art of Gardening Seminars, there will be a terrific gift basket given to one of the attendees filled with items associated with bees, gardening and honey. Rowe will have her local honey for sale, and refreshments will be served.
Make plans to join us for this great program. The program is free of charge, but we do ask that you pre-register by calling the library at 903-457-2992 so program materials, handouts and refreshments can be prepared.

Allen is Extension agent for Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Hunt County — agriculture.