By Savanna Shriver, Times West Virginian
BUNNERS RIDGE, W.Va. — Debbie Martin is currently maintains approximately 120,000 honey bees in the four hives in her backyard.
On Sept. 3, she was named master beekeeper by the West Virginia Beekeepers Association, which makes her only the third female master beekeeper in the state. She has been a beekeeper for nearly 14 years and has maintained up to 32 “bee boxes.” In 2020, she was honored as West Virginia Beekeeper of the Year.
To become a master beekeeper, Martin had to go through all three levels on the program, which include a written and practical exam. The first level is the apprentice level, the second is the certified level and the master level is last. To complete the master level, Martin gave a presentation on forgave, which is where the bees get nectar and pollen from, at the West Virginian Beekeepers Association Fall Conference. The conference was held on Sept. 9-10 at the Robert H. Mollohan Research Center.
Martin has also worked with East Fairmont High School’s Beekeeping Club volunteering her time and donating supplies to the program. She donated the school’s first package of bees, which was historic for the school, East Fairmont High School science teacher and advisor to the Beekeeping Club, Jamie Ford said…
