MONTGOMERY COUNTY FAIR PARTICIPATION

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What is so important about our Fair? It is NOT “just a county fair”! It happens to be the LARGEST agricultural fair east of the Mississippi River! That just did not happen by itself, but required the intensive, dedicated work of a whole gang of volunteer help LIKE YOU, I hope, for the past 50 years.

You know that a total combination of things that have happened over the last 15 years have hurt beekeeping, such as: the tracheal mite followed by the Varroa mite, the entry of the Africanized Honey Bee into the United States and the resulting public fear of bees that has been created by this so called “killer bee”, and of course, the loss of farms and increased urbanization of people today in our area.

However, none of these happenings have changed the fact that over one third (35%) of all our human food is dependent or enhanced by honey bee pollination. Specifically, just to name a few, WITHOUT honey bee pollination there would be a shortage of oranges, grapefruit, lemons, and other citrus, fewer blueberries for blueberry buns, little cranberries for Thanksgiving, fewer apples or peaches, what is summer without squash, cucumbers, pickles, watermelon, or cantaloupe, less broccoli and carrots, and maybe no hamburgers or ice cream if there are no honey bees to pollinate high protein alfalfa needed by cattle to make lots of milk or good beef. I would surely miss my prime rib dinners, and ice cream is the best thing left for a birthday at an advanced age like mine. Years ago, perhaps most people knew of honey bee pollination because then MOST people came from farms, but our urban society thinks Giant Food or Safeway manufactures things like EGGS, and they know little about honey bee pollination. THAT IS YOUR JOB, TELL THEM THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR HONEY BEES!

Further, why not enter your honey, your gadget, or you bee display in the fair, not only to win a ribbon and prize money, but to let the whole world know that you are helping your neighbor’s vegetable garden and flowers by having pollinating honey bees service his crops FREE OF CHARGE.

There are FOUR different honey bee features at the Fair: the entry of honey bee products into competition, the MCBA Educational booth in Old MacDonalds Barn headed up by Master Beekeeper Barry Thompson and where YOU ARE NEEDED, the screened bee booth in a new location near Mac Donalds Barn this year where I and some helpers will open bee colonies at 1, 4, and 7 P.M. each day, and explain the happenings inside a hive, and the sale of fancy honey at the Farm and Garden Building by my family and the Strangs.

With my strokes and disabilities, my mind is strong but the flesh is weak, so I can use lots of help. I need 40 people to work just 4 hours at Old MacDonalds Barn and get a free pass and a free meal. If you have not yet signed up, telephone me.

George Imirie
Certified EAS Master Beekeeper