Picturing Whatcom County People: Russell Deptuch, beekeeper

DANNY GAWLOWSKI

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Russell J. Deptuch, a hobbyist beekeeper and owner of Bees Choice Honey, is surrounded by bees as he attempts to capture a swarm gathering in a tree near West. Orchard Drive in Bellingham. Deptuch was called by property owners to remove the swarm. He shook the bees into one of his wooden hives, then took them away and will use them with his other hives.

Here's his story, in his own words:

"I was raised in New York City and I always had a yearning to live in the country. Growing up in downtown Manhattan, the only "country" we had was Central Park or Staten Island. So I moved out of the city when I was 17 and looked for the country life.

| DANNY GAWLOWSKI | THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

"I'm sort of a farmer at heart and beekeeping is an inexpensive way to become a farmer. Bees have always interested me. I've always liked keeping bugs in a box.

"The sensation of having bees around me doesn't really affect me. I imagine it would affect some people. My sister flew in from New York this last summer and she's one of those people who doesn't really understand this whole bee business. Anyway, I suited her up and she was helping me load up some bees onto my truck and she sort of freaked out. She said "Get all these bees off me! Get these bees off me!" And I looked at her and she had, like, three bees on her mask. So, I imagine, for some people, it would be freaky, but it doesn't really bother me.

"I don't have a fear of the bees because I know what they are capable of. I know how the stings feel. I don't know if you ever get used to being stung, but you learn to tolerate it and it doesn't become a big issue after a while. And I sort of over-protect myself - I wear gloves and the hood. I like to tell everybody that I kind of "armor up" when I'm working with my bees.

"The transition from hobbyist to commercial beekeeper is a big transition. I'm trying to break in to more of the commercial end of things, but right now, I only have 28 hives, so it's still a hobby. You don't really become a commercial beekeeper until you have over 200 hives. So, right now, I'm very small potatoes.

"I am getting the farmer fix and I am looking at the environment in a different way. I feel like I'm more connected to my surroundings and my environment. Beekeeping has put me more in touch, spiritually, with the earth. These are my bees and I care for them. I feed them when they need to be fed. I give them pollen when they need pollen. So, yeah, there is an emotional attachment to each and every hive."

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POSTED: Sunday, Sep. 14, 2008

Picturing Whatcom County People: Russell Deptuch, beekeeper

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