Stung by a new passion

The buzz around town says that retirement has given Win Day hives. Nine of them at the moment, to be exact.

By Paula Felps

Win, who retired from Quality Assurance Department of TI's Semiconductor Division in 1989, has taken an unusual approach to retirement, finding satisfaction in a hobby that many find both fascinating and frightful. 

"As a youngster in South Dakota, I watched a commercial beekeeper who had a bee yard on our property but [at the time] was only interested as an observer," Win recalls. "After I retired from TI, we moved to our tree farm in deep East Texas. A swarm of bees moved into a game feeder. A neighbor had a few colonies of bees, so I asked for his help. After we moved them to a hive, I was hooked."

That's putting it mildly. Today, Win just completed his second year as president of the East Texas Beekeepers Association, and usually keeps 10 to 20 active hives. He ended up buying out the neighbor who first got him interested in beekeeping, and now has a set-up he said is "suitable for an advanced hobbyist." 

"I collect swarms and remove bees from trees and buildings," Win says. "I've slowly become the local guru, and am called when anyone has a bee problem - or thinks they do.

"It's amazing how many people don't know the difference between a bee and a yellow jacket or red wasp."

Of course, the biggest concern to outsiders is the fear of being stung. Win says the danger is greatly exaggerated. 

"Unless you are allergic to bee venom, [getting stung] becomes a part of the hobby," he says. "You say a few choice words and go on."

He blames the media for some of the fear, because they often talk about Africanized bees, which are more aggressive than European bees, and therefore must be managed differently.

"If they aren't here, they soon will be," he acknowledges. "I've recently purchased a bee suit that is expensive, but also will protect me better when they do arrive. We've learned to live with fire ants, so we can learn to live with Africanized bees."

Working with his hives takes about 15 to 30 minutes a week for each hive, and he also has to make sure that the bees have enough food when no nectar is available. (In case you're wondering, bees eat regular table sugar when there's no nectar.)

As part of the East Texas Beekeepers Association, Win helped build a large glass-sided observation hive for Eastman Chemical in Longview. The company was so impressed with the results that they volunteered to fund three more observation hives, the first of which was built at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches. The third and fourth hives have not yet been built. Win also has built a portable glass observation hive that he takes to different schools, scout troupes, nursing homes and civic clubs.

"Most people are fascinated and enjoy seeing bees working. School kids especially," he says. He even got to have some extra fun with it last year at the Shelby County Livestock Show.

"I had a poster made that said: 'I'm showing more livestock than anyone else. And they are all branded 4 Lazy F on the right hip.' There was a magnifying glass there; it was amazing how many people, children and adults, used it to try to see the brand!"

All joking aside, Win wants to continue educating people about bees and said he particularly enjoys working with kids. He volunteers one morning a week at the local high school, tutoring special education students, in addition to visiting area schools with his hives. He teaches children and adults about bees, including how to remove a stinger (scrape it off sideways, never pull it out) and the benefits of bee products. 

"Many people deliberately get stung to build up immunity or to help [ease] the pain of arthritis," he says. "There's some very interesting work being done with bees. There is a big study of apitherapy, particularly in Europe, on the use of bee products for our health."