On the morning of Saturday, April 19, Ogletree Feed & Seed in Union buzzed with excitement, and not just from the bees. The store, which is currently transitioning into a full-service Ace Hardware, hosted a beekeeping class led by local apiarist Thomas “Tomcat” Lewis. The event drew a crowd of over 50 eager participants, from first-timers to seasoned hobbyists, all eager to learn the art of beekeeping from a man with more than four decades of experience.
“We hoped for maybe 15 or 20 people, and then 50 showed up. It was a lot better turnout than we dreamed it would be,” said store owner Jim Ogletree. “There were no chairs left. We filled ‘em all up.”
Lewis’s class covered the basics of beekeeping, including hive setup, equipment needs, and sourcing bees locally. He demonstrated how to assemble a hive and emphasized the importance of buying bees from certified, trustworthy sources. “Get to know your beekeeper in your county,” Lewis advised, warning against online scams. “Don’t put a deposit up or anything like that.”
Lewis, who runs hives across numerous yards in the area, spoke candidly and passionately. “I don’t do this for the money,” he said. “It promotes my nucs and honey, but the real reason is to help people. You gotta get folks involved to get them interested.”
And involved they were. Lewis brought in an empty nuc (a small hive) to show attendees, opening it to let people get a close look. He said some expressed fear of bees. “Don’t be scared of ’em,” he encouraged. “They’re more scared of you.”
Attendees not only watched but got to taste fresh honey, straight from a frame Lewis brought from his truck. “They looked at me and said, ‘God, that’s good,’” he recalled. “This come from within two or three miles from here.”
Lewis also shared homemade, low-cost extraction techniques and offered to lend out his own extractor to anyone getting started. “A beginner doesn’t need to spend a fortune,” he said. “You can make one for ten bucks.”
The event was also a soft preview of what's to come for Ogletree Feed and Seed. “We’re installing STIHL equipment now, and Ace will start installing in May,” said Ogletree. “By June we’ll be selling, and the grand opening is tentatively planned for July 10th through 12th.”
Plans are already in motion for more community-focused classes. “We hope to do more stuff like that on Saturday mornings,” Ogletree said. “We want people to come in and learn something, especially if we find more local experts like Tomcat.”
The combination of local knowledge, community support, and a genuine love for bees made this a memorable event. As Lewis put it, “You raise production 40 to 80% with bees. That’s a pretty good job. We wouldn’t make enough food without pollination.”
One thing's for sure: the buzz in Union isn’t dying down anytime soon.
