Lisa Bright
The Painted Hive Body Competition and Auction is the brainchild of one Nansemond Beekeepers Association member, Jajala Schweiger. It began 8 years ago, as a labor of love, with funds from her own pocket. It has since grown into a program that is a Hallmark of our club. It has been showcased at EAS 2018 and EAS 2019. Our most recent auction took place in October 2021 at the Virginia State Beekeepers Association conference in Smithfield, Virginia.
This is an art competition to showcase hive bodies that are painted, judged, and then auctioned off to support honey bee research. It is a program that reaches out to all parts of the community; Beekeepers, school children, businesses, and artists alike. It gives our club many opportunities to talk about bees with all members of the community. We try to raise interest in our future beekeepers, and increase everyone’s awareness as far as the plight of the honey bees and all pollinators.
Everyone is invited to the initial building and priming party. Then the boxes are doled out to those that wish to paint them. There are several categories including youth, high school, adult amateur, and professional. Their ages range from 3 years old to 70+. Some years we even have full hives donated from the larger bee supply companies, and that can also be a separate category.
There are several months for the artists to complete their work, then the boxes are turned in at the venues that have been prearranged. Our venues include art supply businesses, nurseries, art museums, and wineries. While the boxes are being displayed at these venues there is an auction book where people can start bidding on the boxes. The art portion of the competition ends when the boxes are judged by people we’ve selected from our community. In the past we have had such illustrious judges as our local delegate Emily Brewer, the Mayor of Smithfield, Carter Williams, members of our local tourist bureau, various presidents of the Virginia State Beekeepers Association, and members of our local newspapers.
There is an entry fee to paint the boxes if you are an adult, professional, or paint a full hive. The money collected from these entry fees are then used as the prize money allotted to the winners of the art competition. Once the auction portion of our program ends, expenses are tallied and any profits left over are used as Grant funds to be used for honey bee research. There is an application on our club website for anyone interested in applying for these research grants. The Painted Hive Body committee reviews all applicants and submits their recommendations to the club. The club then votes on a recipient. The only additional requirement is that the grant recipient inform the Nansemond Beekeepers Association within 6 months of how their research is going, and how the funds are being used. Past Grant winners include Dr. Horth of Old Dominion University, Samuel Ramsey, and Zachary Lamas, who graciously spoke to our club about his research.
We are beginning our 9th Annual Painted Hive Body Competition this year with the hopes of being invited to EAS 2022 in Ithaca, NY. Every box that is painted is done with loving intent, and signifies another individual determined to help our honey bees and native pollinators.
Lisa Bright, Secretary Nansemond Beekeepers Association
