Then, as my list of questions grew, a dear friend and former beekeeper, Dawn Durst of Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina, introduced me by phone to Jerry Freeman of Hamburg, Arkansas. Jerry had a saintly patience in all our conversations until I finally came to understand the risks our honey bees face and what might be done about it. He is the inventor of the Freeman Beetle Trap, a remedy to hive beetles. His website also offers plenty of sound information on Varroa mites and on beekeeping in general. You can visit Jerry at www.freemanbeetletrap.com.

And finally, in the category of Things Bees Do to Amaze Us, I owe a word of thanks to Allan Perry Hazel and his charming wife, Judy Hazel, of Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina, and Ted Shrensel and his lovely wife, Bettie Frank-Shrensel, of Montclair, New Jersey. Both of these beekeeping couples had some hilarious stories to tell about hive personalities and the personal habits of bees. So, thanks to y’all, some of the funnier aspects of beekeeping will reach lots of people.

There’s another huge acknowledgment owed to Emma Waters and all the fine folks at the Savannah Bee Company first for having such a wonderful and informative website and for your generous sponsorship of my Fan Fest 2019, but perhaps most important for your generous support of The Bee Cause project that brings bees into classrooms all over the country to teach children about the critical importance of honey bees in our lives and in the environment. And also to Tamara Enright of The Bee Cause. Part of the proceeds from books sold during my book tour this year will support the work of The Bee Cause as well. My team from William Morrow is mighty proud to know you and to congratulate your fine work. In addition, special thanks to J. L. Napolski and all the nice people at Dixie Vodka for their support of book tour and Fan Fest. You have most definitely put the fun back in book tour. Ahem.