The Foundation for the Preservation of Honey Bees recently named Pennsylvania 4-H member Zephan Samuel, of Butler County, the second-place winner of this year’s National 4-H Beekeeping Essay competition. He earned a $500 prize as well as publication in ABF Quarterly, the magazine of the American Beekeeping Federation.
“I had a lot of fun and learned so much about bees while writing the essay,” Samuel said. “When I found out I got second place, I was surprised and happy.”
The essay asked 4-H members to write about the importance of beeswax. “One thing I learned is how hard bees work to make even a small amount of what they produce,” he said.
For example, Samuel noted that honey bees must gather nectar from about two million flowers to make one pound of honey. About 1,000 wax scales can make one gram of beeswax.
His essay focused on the versatile uses of beeswax by both bees and humans. Bees utilize beeswax in a variety of ways, including as a nursery and a pantry. When the queen bee lays eggs, worker bees place the eggs in honeycomb cells made of beeswax. Bees also use beeswax to store honey in these cells. By sealing the cells with beeswax caps, bees prevent moisture from entering and keep the honey fresh. This also ensures the honey remains safe from other animals.
“My interest in bees began quite a while ago when my mother was planting a flower garden,” Samuel said. “I saw these insects going from flower to flower and how busy they were. That’s when I fell in love with bees. I learned a lot more about them, and my interest never dwindled.”
Samuel said that his family shares an interest in bees. They have made candles, soap and lip balm together using beeswax. He said that making the beeswax products was challenging at first but became easier with experience.
His family also visits friends’ apiaries to observe how humans support bees and how bees build hives and make beeswax. During these visits, Samuel said he witnessed bees capping honey and the behavior of worker bees toward the queen.
“I live in the city, so I don’t have bees of my own,” he said. “But when I grow up and maybe have a place of my own, I might be able to have my own bees, honey and beeswax.”
Karley Mishler and Amy Metrick, 4-H extension educators in Butler County, reflected on Samuel’s accomplishment: “In Butler County 4-H we like to say, ‘We grow great kids.’ Zephan is a great example of this. Since joining 4-H, he has developed leadership skills, exemplified citizenship skills and participated fully in a wide range of project areas. We are proud to have Zephan be part of the Butler County 4-H family.”
In addition to his bee-related activities, Samuel participates in 4-H clubs focused on robotics, archery, eSports and photography.
“My main goal is to inspire others to take an interest in bees,” he said. “Have fun learning about bees and enjoy what you’re doing. Try to learn and grow as much as possible on the topic you’re doing because then you can enjoy it for a long period of time.”
Administered in Pennsylvania by Penn State Extension, 4-H is a nonformal educational youth-development program of the United States Department of Agriculture that helps young people develop knowledge and skills to become capable, caring and contributing citizens. To find your local program, visit the Pennsylvania 4-H website at https://extension.psu.edu/
