Stories of a Local Beekeeper: How the Bees Came to Be

Michael Cassidy, locally known as Mike, a resident of Enfield East Hants, has a unique and often stigmatized hobby, welcome to the world of beekeeping. The owner of 13 hives, with 10,000 to 30,000 bees in each, he manages anywhere between 130,000 and 390,000 bees at any given time.

Mike got the beekeeping urge while working with beekeepers during a summer vacation. After his first taste of beekeeping, he was hooked. Becoming a registered beekeeper in 2017, Mike has caught swarms of bees, built strong, sustainable hives, and has introduced numerous inquisitive people to the wonderful world of beekeeping.

Mike describes his favorite part of beekeeping as catching wild swarms. A swarm, as described by Mike, is a large group of bees with a queen, looking for a new home. Mike says that for every 10 people he introduces to the world of bees, one will become a beekeeper.

Mike likes to joke that he has thousands of pets, but beekeeping is a profoundly serious hobby and not for the faint of heart. Mike freely admits his initial reservations surrounding beekeeping but says with time and exposure the more comfortable one becomes.

Mike shows great respect towards his bees, and it shows every time he introduces someone to bees. Mike has a great Apiary (that’s ‘bee’ for farm) and a comprehensive schedule of maintenance. However, it is only the lucky few who are around on inspection day who get to learn the ropes and open minds to the glorious world of beekeeping.

Keep watching What’s Up East Hants for more stories of local hobbyists!