Internship
Environmental Steward / Apprentice Beekeeper
Organization
ecoVerdant / BM Dooney Farms
230 Orebed Rd.
Colton, NY 13625
About BM Dooney Farms
BM Dooney Farms, LLC provides science-based beekeeping services. They specialize in beekeeping education, conservation, and outreach for anyone interested in bees throughout St. Lawrence county and the Adirondack region. Their goal is to create better beekeepers who maintain healthier bees.
About ecoVerdant
ecoVerdant is committed to bridging gaps in public access to knowledge through understanding of science, technology and environmental conservation issues.
Duties
A typical day was about seven hours, consisting of various duties. Cleaning and preparing old bee boxes for re-use, painting and assembling boxes, monitoring swarm lures, and managing hives in three different locations were some of the beekeeping responsibilities. As for other duties, assisting with land management projects, conducting land and water surveys, monitoring beaver activity, assisting with sustainable gardening, and gaining stewardship experience were large focuses.
Summary
From days surrounded by innumerable honey bees all the way to land and water surveys and projects, my summer felt like no other. Some days were filled with beekeeping responsibilities such as conducting hive inspections, checking swarm traps, and maintaining bee colony health through processes of rehabilitation. Other days I spent learning methods of environmental interpretation, stewardship, and operational aspects of local sustainable business efforts. When I first started, I was quite timid around honey bees. But I did not let the fear stop me from stepping forward and allowing myself to learn something new. Especially something I was interested in learning more about. As the summer went on, I did more than I had initially anticipated. Every new lesson and experience gained from in the field I will be certain to take with me moving forward. Even smaller things like plant identification methods and interpretative talk layouts that appeal to a wide range of audience members. No day was the same, and that’s all I really could have asked for when looking to broaden my experiences and connect my classroom knowledge to the field.