By Christopher Neely
Dennis Rittenhouse [second from right] has been teaching at-home beekeeping courses for five years. This year’s roster of students includes [from left] Kathy Eichhorn, Gerry McAvoy and Cliff Brown.
Photo by CHRISTOPHER NEELY, STAR NEWS GROUP
POINT PLEASANT — For the last five years, Dennis Rittenhouse has been hosting beekeeping classes for anyone in the community interested in getting their own hive, or experienced beekeepers who wish to sharpen their knowledge.
Mr. Rittenhouse, a beekeeping veteran, has become popular because of his expertise in the unique trade. He understands the various benefits and relative ease of beekeeping, and is more than happy to share his knowledge in the field.
On Saturday, April 2, Mr. Rittenhouse kicked off the first class of a three-class, three-week, home beekeeping class. Normally hosted at Barlow’s Flower Farm in Sea Girt, 2016 marked the first year Mr. Rittenhouse would teach the course out of his Point Pleasant Borough home. With a projection screen for his presentation and homemade blueberry crumb cake for his student’s appetite, Mr. Rittenhouse and his wife Andrea played the role of gracious hosts for their three students.
About 40 years ago, after learning about the positive effect bees would have on his vegetable garden, Mr. Rittenhouse bred his first hive. He soon grew a love for the trade, which quickly turned into an art and eventually, a way of life. He’s passed the appreciation of beekeeping down through his family. His granddaughter even has a hive in his backyard.
Cliff Brown, of Brick, has been beekeeping for three years. While he says “I always have to do everything my way,” Mr. Brown respects the knowledge of Mr. Rittenhouse and knows there is still plenty to learn about the trade.
“I came to this class to reinforce some things that I’ve already learned,” Mr. Brown said. “Dennis explains things very well.”
Wall Township resident Kathy Eichhorn said she’s new to the idea of beekeeping. After doing some research into the benefits of beekeeping, she discussed the idea of getting a hive with her friend and is ready to pursue the project.
“I didn’t want to do it without an education first,” Ms. Eichhorn said.
Gerry McAvoy, a Manasquan resident, said he was also new to the trade. Mr. McAvoy said he currently raises Monarch butterflies at his home and he felt like moving on to beekeeping was a “natural progression”. After retirement, the science teacher at Neptune Middle School dreams about setting up shop at a farmer’s market with his jars of honey and his dog.
Mr. Rittenhouse said scientists have found beehives dated back to 9,000 B.C., and by becoming a beekeeper, his students would join an “ageless fraternity”. However, it may be more like a sorority, as Mr. Rittenhouse explained that beehives are strict, female-run communities. Male bees, known as drones, are only needed for three months of the year and duties are relegated to simply impregnating the queen, after which, they are bounced out of the sorority house.
Mr. Rittenhouse displayed his expertise in beekeeping through an engaging presentation, which dripped with rich anecdotes and plenty of bee-related puns that often kept the room buzzing with laughter. Mr. Rittenhouse seamlessly took his students from the benefits of beekeeping for the environment, through the inner-workings of the hive, into the anatomy of the bees and out to proper hive maintenance.
An expert beekeeper and fearless learner, Mr. Rittenhouse even dispelled a few myths. He explained bees, although they often get confused with yellow jackets and hornets, are extremely docile creatures if treated correctly. He even took on a long held myth that eating a banana around a hive is a dangerous idea because of the banana’s pheromones that alarm bees.
“How do I know this isn’t true?” Mr. Rittenhouse asked. “Well I took a banana and ate it by the hive. Even got right down by the hive entrance. Nothing. So does it matter if you eat a banana by a hive? No, doesn’t matter at all to me.”
Something Mr. Rittenhouse couldn’t simply dispel as myth was the decline of bee populations across the world and the heavy consequences a bee extinction would have on the food chain. Bees have existed for over 40 million years, but the evolution of industrial agriculture has introduced the use of harmful pesticides, which are deadly for bees. The role of the bee as nature's pollinators is crucial to the ecosystem and food chain. A world without bee pollination would have detrimental consequences on our crops.
One hive can breed thousands of bees per year. While it may seem taboo to the common personality, this is why beekeeping, and people like Mr. Rittenhouse and his three students are so important. The earth needs beekeepers, because life on earth needs bees.
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