https://www.kalb.com/2022/08/27/whats-all-buzz-about/

By Alena Noakes

Published: Aug. 26, 2022 at 7:18 PM CDT

ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - At the Holiday Inn in downtown Alexandria, more than 200 beekeepers gathered for the 60th annual Louisiana Beekeeper’s Association Convention (LBA).

Every year, beekeepers from around the state meet to share their honeybees, one of Louisiana’s most valuble resources as a leader in agriculture. As important pollinators who help sustain the environment, beekeepers make it a priority to stay educated and move forward in their efforts toward continued preservation.

“So much of the flowers and everything you see depends on honeybee pollination,” said Wesley Card, president of LBA. “Not to mention beeswax and honey and the other products they provide as well. It’s for people to understand what they can do in their own yards, as far as pesticides and other things that are happening in their environment they may not think about, and how they affect the honeybees.”

One of those is The Bee Commander, a vendor at the convention, with owners who save bees by rescuing them from attics, roofs and any place you would not want to find a hive of bees, giving them a safe home and the freedom to keep doing what honeybees do.

“The backbone of The Bee Commander, the whole reason for it, is saving honeybees one hive at a time,” said Jeff Brown of Pearl River, who owns the business with his wife. “We have a bunch of beeswax left over when the honey process is over. So we turned it into candles, soap and lip balm, trying to be as natural as we can with it. Just another product to honor them.”