Buzz! Buzz!

            The bees are back and buzzing at the Calhoun County Library thanks to the generosity of the C.F. Evans Construction Charitable Giving Committee and their gift of $500. Committee Chairman, Kendall Perrow, has shown a particular interest in the Library’s observation hive, and this is the second time this committee has sponsored our beehive revitalization. Last year, our hive unfortunately got into some pesticides and did not survive. We hope that this year’s new family of honeybees finds a safer food supply as they venture out from the safety of their library home.

            C.F. Evans Safety Director Hank Rhame is also our own kind of safety director as he handles the heavy lifting of our Library’s beekeeping program. As part of our pollinator initiative that began in 2016, the Library worked with The Bee Cause to install an observation bee hive that displays eight frames of honeybees in a safe manner. In April, Hank helped install this new hive after a little hardware renovation and spring cleaning. It is located in the children’s section of the library with special access to the outside world. Peek behind their protective cloth to see the busy bees at work. You might even get to see the queen bee in action. Will you be able to spot her laying her eggs?

            In 2015, the Calhoun County Library raised awareness about the importance of pollinators through the creation of the Gressette Children’s Garden for Pollinator Education. This garden brought together people of all ages as they worked together to create something beautiful and educational. The Calhoun County Library urges you to come to walk through the Gressette Children’s Garden to try to spot all kinds of pollinators and come inside to watch a bee colony hard at work. At the library, we have many books on the importance of bees and pollinating so come pick up a copy today to learn more!

            Thank you again to the C.F. Evans Construction Charitable Giving Committee for the donation so we could bring back our bees, and thank you to Hank Rhame for being such a fantastic beekeeper!

(Hank Rhame and Benjamin Young assisting with the observation hive installation)

(From left to right: C.F. Evans Construction Charitable Giving Committee’s Safety Director Hank Rhame and Chairman Kendall Perrow and Calhoun County Library’s Melissa McLeod.)