By Frank Beitz
CCC Journalism Program
BLACKWOOD – Ned Morgan, the head of the South Jersey Beekeepers Association, held a two-and-a-half-hour informational session about honeybees and the state of beekeeping April 25 at Camden County College.
A live bee display, made up of mostly female bees, is part of the presentation at Camden County College. By Frank Beitz, CCC Journalism Program
With a slideshow, a documentary and a display table with live bees and even homemade items made of honey, plenty of things were going on to draw people in. The event took place in Civic Hall, with the display table in the Civic Hall Atrium, visible to passing staff members and students to catch their eye. With bees being so common, there are plenty of resources for us to learn about and better understand them.
Morgan’s wife and business partner, Darce, accompanied him, headed the display table and fielded questions. Now a huge bee lover, Darce Morgan admitted she was once scared of bees.
“When I first met Ned, I was watching him keep and care for the bees with a pair of binoculars so I didn’t have to get close to them and risk getting stung,” she said. “He eased me into it slowly and now we are both beekeepers and it is our passion.”
Civic Hall was packed with about 140 visitors who were enthusiastic about the presentation and eager to get involved. Matt Bealor, a student at Camden County College, attended the session for a class but said he was happy to be there.
“I was assigned to attend this for a class, but once I was here I enjoyed myself because it was a fun way to learn about bees in a fun environment,” Bealor said. “Although this was an assignment, I would like to think I would have attended even if it wasn’t.”
Darce Morgan said she hoped the event will occur again at Camden County College.
“The crowd was great and we really believe the people were interested, having fun and also learning at the same time,” she said. “Ned and I would love to come back and do it again next semester.”