By Ainsley Hall, The Journal
MARTINSBURG — Local beekeepers Bob and Bea Aikens were named the West Virginia Beekeepers of the Year by the West Virginia Beekeepers Association earlier this year.
Bea and Bob have been working with bees for more than 50 years, attending many different events and participating in different beekeeping-related contests.
Back in the 1960s, Bob had a friend who had three beehives that he was handling. When that friend began losing interest in beekeeping, he asked Bob if he would take them. Despite not knowing a thing about bees, Bob decided to give it a try.
“For the first five years, it was terrible,” Bob said. “I started looking around and learned about the Eastern Panhandle Beekeepers Association, and it was in Bedington. They were having a meeting on Saturday, and so, I went down there. They had six or seven people there, and they said they were starting an organization, and I joined.”