Most people stay away from bee’s at all costs, but Ward Hicks does quite the opposite.
Hicks is a certified master beekeeper. His passion for bees started as a young boy as he grew up hearing stories about his pioneer ancestors who traveled across Southern Utah with a beehive in their wagon. The trade of beekeeping was taught throughout several generations in his family, and his grandmother taught him.
“When I was about 15 years old, she asked me if I’d like to start it (keep bees) and I was thrilled about it because I was reading about honeybees at the library at school and asking her questions and she would tell me the whole process about how it’s all done. It was just fascinating to me,” Hicks said.
Hicks decided to get certified as a master beekeeper when he started teaching classes about beekeeping in the Rexburg community. By teaching classes, he realized he still had a lot to learn and he wanted to know more. He got certified through the University of Montana.
As a master beekeeper, not only does Hicks know about bee safety and how to take care of them, but he also knows how essential they are to our wellbeing. He encourages people to support bees as much as they can.
“Support beekeeping any way you can, whether that’s purchasing honey at the farmers market, planting good forage for bees, supporting the habitat for native pollinators. Whatever we can do to support honeybees and support them to continue and thrive, that would be a wonderful thing,” Hicks said.
To learn more about the beekeeping classes Hicks teaches or to buy some of his honey visit www.hickshoney.com.