Valerie from Niederdorf in Tyrol is one of Austria’s youngest beekeepers. The high school student with special knowledge went to the “Krone” before leaving for the national competition for young beekeepers. The twelve-year-old revealed what she finds so fascinating about bees.
“Of course Maya the Bee is my favorite movie!” Valerie Asprian smiles mischievously as she answers. Get it – this is probably often asked of her by laymen who associate little more with Apis mellifera (European honey bee) than a childhood story.
Raised with dozens of people in the garden
Valerie is long past this stage, although she is only twelve years old. If you want to talk to her, you have to arm yourself. The young Tyrolean is a professional. A master of her craft. A queen bee who grew up with dozens of hives in the garden.
“My grandfather keeps bees, so does my father. I was allowed to go early to see. That was always fun for me,” the high school student rummages through memories from not so long ago. “It’s fascinating that such small animals can achieve such great things,” the girl also answers the question: why such a hobby at her age?
Valerie doesn’t fit the cliché of a beekeeper at all: respectable older gentlemen with a penchant for loners. A cliché that is no longer true anyway. More and more women are active in the scene. More and more young people. But beekeepers are rare in the “14 min” age group. “There are no exact statistics,” explains Rosi Fellner, state youth work official at the Tyrolean Beekeepers Association. “The typical young beekeeper – like Valerie – comes into contact with the hobby in the family.”
Young beekeepers put their skills to the test for two days
He demonstrated how good the offspring are on Friday and Saturday at the national competition for young Austrian beekeepers in Breitenbach am Inn. The competition takes place in a different state each year. Valerie is one of the youngest in the field. A few hours earlier – when visiting the “Krone” – you do not see the excitement in the least. “Beekeepers are relaxed people” – and the mischievous smile is on display again.
How to correctly mark a queen?
While her friends make a pilgrimage to the outdoor pool, Valerie practices marking the queen one more time with her grandfather. For the dress rehearsal, it is a drone that the girl carefully fixes between her fingers and skillfully puts a license plate on her back. Then she proudly points to two sun-yellow sticks: “My two peoples live there.” At the moment, however, there is more buzz than usual. Valerie stoically stands in between. A proud queen bee – so young and yet so gentle.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
