When most people hear the buzz of a swarm of bees, they’re likely to run in the opposite direction. But for 11-year-old Elizabeth Downs, the sounds are a comfort.
“Like the hearing of the buzz. It’s actually the note C, and C is one of the most calming notes,” she said.
Her favorite part of beekeeping is how it makes her use all her senses. In addition to the sounds, she has to look for the queen marked with a bright dot. She feels the vibrations from the bees outside her jacket and smells and tastes the honey from the hives. And then, of course, there are the occasional stings. That’s her least favorite part.
“I got used to it but like once you get stung once you get stung a lot, and that’s not very fun,” she said.
The soon-to-be sixth grader now has eight hives, each with anywhere from 30,000 to 40,000 bees. Downs is one of the youngest beekeepers in the state, and five years into her hobby turned lifestyle, she isn’t sick of it yet.
“Nope, not yet,” Downs said. “I don’t think I will be. It’s pretty fun and really interesting. Cause it’s never really boring, there’s always something going on.”
Downs may be several decades younger than most beekeepers, but she is highly skilled — something she sometimes has to remind people of, when they assume her parents do most of the work.
“Most people are just surprised that I’m the beekeeper,” she said.
But to Downs’ mom, Rachel Downs, it was never surprising that her daughter would be interested in bees. When Elizabeth Downs was 3 years old, the family started gardening. The neighbor of a family friend had bees, and showed them to Downs, who was immediately hooked.
“It was surprising for me to see a child that interested in something like that, but not necessarily to see Elizabeth interested in that,” Rachel Downs said. “She has always been one, a lot of people say she has an old soul, she has just been so kind, so caring and just wants to be outside, climbing trees, being involved in things.”
Although lately, Elizabeth Downs has needed a little extra assistance, since she has a boot cast from a sprained ankle.
“I have to wear a bag over so the bees don’t get in the holes and stuff,” she said.
The work of beekeeping varies depending on the time of year. Starting in late spring, Downs is out every week checking on hives, and in the fall she checks weekly to keep an eye out for mites. In the winter, the bees don’t need much help, just an extra blanket on the hive to keep them warm. Downs also will brave the cold to read to them.
“During the winter it’s nice to talk to them cause you haven’t really seen them in a while,” she said.
When she has the supply, Downs sells the honey from the bees on a Facebook page. She uses the money to pay for her equipment, and often donates the rest to local causes. She’s also become a go-to bee speaker for groups that are looking to learn about the practice.
Dave Oliver, the family friend who introduced Downs to beekeeping, admires how she is passing on what she’s learned to a younger generation.
“Typically young people do young people things, well this is not a young person’s hobby,” Oliver said. “But somebody needs to teach these guys how to do it or when you get to be my age and as we get older we are doing less and less of this. Somebody needs to be coming through to hand the torch to.”
Downs already has her heart set on working with bees full time as an adult. In fact, she’d like to become the Maine state apiarist — the person who inspects hives across the state and helps regulate beekeepers moving bees in and out of Maine.
Current state apiarist Jennifer Lund has met Downs several times while doing annual hive inspections.
“I think she told me when she was 10 that she was coming for my job,” Lund said with a laugh. “Which is totally cool, it’s not every day you get to hear a young person who wants to be a state apiarist when they grow up.”
Her advice for Downs or any young person looking to work with bees is to get as much experience as possible.
With the school year fast approaching, Downs has plenty to keep her busy — the start of sixth grade, sports and plans to join the math team. But on top of all of that, she’s looking forward to the busier season with her hives.
So if you’re looking for her, she’s probably with the bees.
This article appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.
