Rocky Mount girl abuzz with spirit for beekeeping, fills a need when swarm comes to campus
A swarm of bees would stop many people, but not Katelyn Boone.
Boone is an eighth grader at Rocky Mount Academy and a certified beekeeper.
She stepped up at school after a swarm of bees came to campus and wouldn't go away.
Timmy Tucker, the Head of Upper School at Rocky Mount Academy, said he's unsure where the bees came from.
"We had to keep the kids inside because of the safety hazard," Tucker said.
Tucker said he only knew there was a beekeeper among the student body once he started to look for someone to help with the problem.
"It was fantastic. No one knew we had a beekeeper on campus," he said.
Boone and her aunt stepped in to take care of the swarm.
Boone has been beekeeping since she was nine.
"Not a lot of people do beekeeping my age. It's fun to share with my peers," she said.
Boone said she got into the hobby after a conversation with her dad.
"I asked my dad if we could get another dog [and] he said no," she said.
So naturally, bees were the next best thing.
"People just don't know how fascinating these creatures really are," Boone said.
Boone said she learned most of what she knows from the Wilson County Beekeepers Association, and she's done every step of her training alongside her aunt.
"I don't think she thought I was going to stay with it, but here we are now," Boone said.
Today, they have their own hives to care for, including the bees from her school.
While some people see her as a hero for caring for the bees at school, it felt like any other day for her.
Though, in some ways, it was special.
"It was really exciting because that was our first swarm by ourselves," she said.
She said she doesn't see herself giving up beekeeping anytime soon and hopes to continue educating people along the way.
"There are so many factors that people just don't know about," Boone said.
Boone and her aunt bottle their honey and have started to sell it in small batches.
You can contact them at booneapiary@gmail.com.
