At the age of 10, Lee Genereux eyed his neighbour’s beehives and decided he’d like some of his own.
“I just thought it would be interesting,” he said.
He started with one hive from that neighbour, and five years later he has 50.
Each hive is home to between 20,000 and 60,000 bees and their honey is earning Genereux accolades across Canada.
Last week he picked up a third place ribbon in the granulated honey category at Canadian Western Agribition. Earlier, at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, held Nov. 7-16 in Toronto he won first for comb honey and third for liquid honey.
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Saskatchewan beekeepers are proud of the 15 year old’s success and presented him with a plaque during the awards ceremony at Agribition. Members are also thinking about establishing a scholarship for young producers like Genereux.
The teenager’s bees forage in the farmland south of Saskatoon where the family lives. In a good year, they’ll make 200 pounds of honey per hive.
Genereux extracts the honey, creams it and sells it from the farmgate in 500 gram and one kilogram containers and larger tubs.
Honey producers are earning more than $2 per lb. for bulk honey. Consumer-packed honey sells for more at the farmgate.
“You can set your own price, but you have to be competitive with everyone else who is selling that way,” Genereux said.
Costs include extraction equipment and replacement bees. Genereux expects to lose 10 percent of his bees each winter.
He extracts honey four times a year in July and August. He sometimes uses a smoker to calm the bees, but he’s been stung numerous times.
“I lost count long ago,” he said. “It doesn’t hurt as bad as it used to.”
He spent a lot of time learning how to be a beekeeper and enters shows like Agribition not only because it’s fun but because it provides an opportunity to learn more.
“It’s good to see what judges and honey connoisseurs think of your honey,” he said. “And you get to talk to other honey producers.”
Genereux said some of his friends think his bee operation is neat, but others can’t understand the attraction.
The Grade 10 student would like to have a large commercial operation someday.
Meanwhile, his father, who footed the bill for his son’s business venture, has since bought his own hives.
Genereux said they have different management styles. For example, he’s more willing than his father to split a hive if necessary.
