Betsie Valley District Library Gives Thanks for Rick Dimanin and His Beekeeping Classes

"When my wife, Lisa, and I moved to Thompsonville in July 2024, I brought the majority of my 60 or so beehives to our 40 acre parcel on the Betsie River, with visions of flowing, golden honey and happy honeybees. Unfortunately, beekeeping is a craft that has been around for centuries and is a very difficult subject to master, especially by yourself. After beginning my beekeeping journey in 2010, I entered Cornell’s Master Beekeeping program in 2018 so I could learn more about beekeeping and have the requisite knowledge to competently teach beekeeping to the public, and successfully completed the program in 2020.

When we moved to Thompsonville, neither my wife nor I knew anyone in the Traverse City area or, for that matter, anyone north of Midland. After much thought, in December 2024, I went to the Betsie Valley District Library to speak with the librarian about offering to start a beekeeping class at the Thompsonville library.

After she heard my pitch, Michelle Guerra, the librarian, was very excited about implementing the class that began in the spring of 2025. The fee for the beekeeping course was set at $75, with all proceeds to be donated to the Betsie Valley District Library. In total, our beekeeping classes donated nearly $2000 to the Thompsonville branch in 2025 and a similar amount 2026!! To top it off, the $75 course fee also included one year of personal mentorship at the student’s respective residences.

Each beekeeper started their honeybee journey by purchasing a “package” of approximately 3 pounds or 10,000 bees, with each containing a queen that would populate their hives once the “packages” were installed into wooden boxes. In early April 2025, I drove down to Flint and brought back approximately 20 “packages” of honeybees for the students to start their colonies. On the same day that I returned from Flint, every student met at the class apiary located in the front 15 acres of my property and installed their bees. It was a cloudy, gloomy day with thousands of flying, stinging insects wondering where they were and who took them there. It looked like a madhouse. In total, the class apiary contained about 20 beehives that could be accessed by the students at any time, day or night. This arrangement necessitated close cooperation between students for them to “feed” their colonies if someone was unable to travel to the apiary to tend to their bees on a particular day. Having a class apiary also facilitated friendships, with students collaborating with each other and comparing the progress of their hives during and after class.

One of the inevitable “side effects” of beekeeping is developing close interpersonal relationships with other beekeepers. Beekeeping is much more than opening a hive and observing the bee colony at work; it is also a craft that requires “hands on experience” and an exchange of ideas and observations during and after class. After the first couple of classes, it was obvious that we became a small beekeeping community, with each of us talking to each other, meeting respective family members and starting close friendships. In fact, at the end of the 2025 and 2026 classes, we had a “potluck” dinner at my home with all of the beekeeping students and their immediate family members. All of this “community magic” happened because of “bugs in a box” and people not being afraid of thousands of stinging insects while learning how to manage them.

The first beginning beekeeping class was so successful that the students wanted to continue their education within an intermediate/advanced class, which I gladly began teaching in the spring of 2026, in addition to also teaching the beginning beekeeping class. Throughout 2026, the class apiary often had a mix of both beginning and intermediate students, which facilitated fascinating discussions, beekeeping advice and close friendships. After living in Thompsonville since July 2024 and after three beekeeping classes, my wife and I now have a community of close friends that have given us great joy and happiness.

At age 72, I plan to keep beekeeping while I am physically able to do so. Unfortunately, most beekeepers are aging out and there is a distinct possibility that the craft of beekeeping will die with them. Right now, it is critical to have younger people start keeping bees and potentially start a business by supplying honey, beeswax and honeybees for pollination. More importantly, the depth of the knowledge that could be passed from older beekeepers to younger ones should not be wasted and I invite anyone 12 or older to join the 2027 beginning beekeeping class to be held at the Thompsonville branch of the Betsie Valley District Library starting in February, 2027."

Library Bookkeeper and Librarian Assistant Alin Kuuttila began her beekeeping adventure by taking Rick’s Beginning Class in 2025 and furthered her beekeeping skills by taking the Intermediary class in 2026. Alin shares, “I have been interested in beekeeping for many years, but had no idea where to start. When a beginning class was offered through Betsie Valley District Library, I knew this was my chance. I took the Beginning class in 2025 and the Intermediate class in 2026. I harvested my first honey in August. The fact that I could start with a small hive of purchased bees in April 2025 and sixteen months later extract even a small amount of honey in 2026 was rewarding. I feel I have discovered a lifetime of an exciting hobby. I am proud that I am doing a small part to save the bees and share honey with my family and friends.”

Dimanin expanded his offerings in 2026 to include an intermediate class. While the mixed apiary has enriched local discussions, the 72-year-old Cornell Master Beekeeping graduate warns that the clock is ticking for the trade as older generations age out. He views beekeeping as an excellent entrepreneurial opportunity for younger people to supply local honey, beeswax, and essential pollination services to Michigan agriculture.