Bee Buzz at the Fair
The Sweet Taste of Honey
By Will Simpson
Hidden Gem Reporter
MOSCOW, Idaho—The Sweet Taste of Honey educational exhibit at the Latah County Fair is struggling to compete for attention with the big-time swarm of activity around the FFA and 4H animal husbandry. It is only separated by the crowded dirt-covered midway and the perfumes of the animal barns. But is will as well be on a distant planet when it comes to the excitement of the fair. Each passing year, fewer young people show interest in the primary pollinator of our food supply, and the community is starting to sense the buzz fading.
“Over the years, the honeybee fair entries have declined,” said Dave Glasebrook, a professional beekeeper who sponsored the Latah Country Fair, Sweet Taste of Honey contest. At fairs like Latah’s, this reflects how vital parts of agriculture—like beekeeping—are failing to capture the interest and imagination of young people. Young people are disconnecting from learning about agriculture and leaning into their phones because it isn’t on TikTok. It’s not “cool” to be active in the local fair anymore. As these exhibits fade, so too does the next generation of skilled agriculturalists and ecological activists.
Over the years, honeybee entries at the Latah County Fair have dwindled—no more honey frames, only four jars of honey. This decline reflects a broader trend, and if fairs like this can’t keep youth involved in beekeeping, the bees are in trouble. Small county fairs make a powerful impact by stimulating young minds to be creative activists.
“Honey frames are no longer presented for judging, and there were only four jars of honey exhibited this year and last year,” said Glasebrook. Honeybees aren’t getting their moment at the fair anymore, and that isn’t good for both the bees and the future beekeepers. How can a few jars of honey hope to compete with adorable farm animals? How can honeybees compete in an arena with young kids handling cuddly animals in the animal barns compared to a tri-fold foam posterboard on a long, crowded amongst the homebaked pies and the giant zucchini in the concrete-floored metal building posing as the event center?
“Stookey’s Feed and Garden Supply sponsored many of the fair exhibits, such as flowers, that large sponsors overlooked. He was happy to help the community. When he passed, the baton dropped as none of the other stores or businesses picked it up,” said Glasebrook as he picks up this baton. Now, there is a glimmer of hope. “My hive mentor is Jerry McGee, who helps me with hive decisions and improvements, as well as improving my understanding and knowledge about bees,” says Sophie Johnson’s entry in the contest and the first-place winner of the Sweet Taste of Honey contest at the Latah County Fair.
“Mentoring is part of the beekeeping business as the goal is to have successful beekeepers enjoying this gentle art rather than beekeepers who try for a year or two and drop away because of difficulties,” said Glasebrook. Mentoring young beekeepers isn’t just a nice idea; it’s essential for the survival of the honeybee and the continuation of our food supply. Without someone to guide the next generation, we risk losing critical agricultural knowledge.
Nitch areas of farming, like beekeeping, are seen as less glamorous, sturring the interest of fewer young people. But we can’t afford to overlook the role of bees. They’re crucial to our ecosystem, and they are responsible for $30 billion worth of crops a year. “Without bees, we would have little to no crops; no crops means no food, which means no life,” says Solveig Hunter’s entry in the contest and the second-place winner of the Sweet Taste of Honey contest at the Latah County Fair.
Mentorship isn’t just about training the next generation of beekeepers—it’s about creating a community of people who care deeply about preserving the planet’s pollinators.
Take Solveig Hunter, for instance. She entered the fair with nothing but curiosity and left as a passionate advocate for bees. Without these fairs, we’d lose more than honey—we’d lose a generation of environmental stewards.
As bees face global challenges, local fairs like Latah’s are on the frontlines of the fight to save them.
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