Abbey Wheeler of Wheeler’s Bees will be the speaker for Thursday morning’s meeting of the Ossian Rotary Club.
The meeting begins at 7:30 a.m. and will be held at the First Baptist Church of Ossian, 1001 Dehner Drive, on the north side of Ossian.
Wheeler will not only discuss beekeeping but also the business they have supplying materials for other beekeepers.
Beekeeping for the Wheelers started in 2013. Their daughter Ella had an interest in insects and was getting ready to start 4-H the following year. James was looking for a joint family project that could get everyone involved. Having grown up in a wood shop he thought that beekeeping would be a good way to incorporate both working in the woodshop and the love for bugs. Isaac and James would build the boxes in the barn, and Ella and James would work in the hives.
The family members only needed to convince Abbey to join them in the enterprise. After a blind taste test involving local honey and store-bought honey, she was in.
That first year they started with three hives and finished the year with 10. Each year the operation has continued to grow, and they now have added Corban and Boden into beekeeping operations.
In 2015 Wheeler’s Bees expanded to sell bee supplies as a service to their local bee association. Two years later they began selling bee packages and nucs (small sized hives).
Next week, June 8, Ossian Rotary will hear from Zach Bernath from the American Red Cross discussing the upcoming blood drive in Ossian.
Anyone is welcome to attend. Those desiring more information about the club can contact president Jeff Keplar at jeffkeplar@gmail.com
