Fair Is Abuzz for Local Beekeeper

Robert Mead, a beekeeper from Minnetonka, found himself with a high honor and lots of responsibility at the this year.

As superintendent of the Honey and Bee Division, Mead’s role includes preparing for judging, making work schedules and being present everyday to answer bee and honey-related questions.

“I love talking about bees and honey, so it allows me to exhaust that interest pretty well,” he said. “I even have to be careful or I’ll lose my voice.”

Mead keeps 15 hives at his home on Excelsior Blvd.

“It’s a neat hobby,” he said.

As it turns out, bees are big business in the Minnetonka area.

He counted a handful of local people working in the Honey and Bee Division of the Horticulture Building that day and said there are two other beekeepers who live right down the road from him.

“And those are just the people I know,” Mead said. “I’d be willing to venture that there are more people with bees.”

This year, Mead has noticed a similar amount of entrants in the Bee and Honey Division but the number of entries is down.

“It’s been kind of a tougher year for bees,” he said. “It’s been really hot and we’ve gotten a lot of rain– the bees don’t fly in the rain, and there was a late spring. So a few things kind of conspired against the bees for them to be out doing the things they like to do.”

Mead appreciates all of the entrants, but said it is amazing the things displayed in the honey and bee arts area, such as honey carvings, painting with honey and other crafts.