The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Last week, the sounds of spring were loud and clear in my backyard. Birds were singing, kids could be heard playing all up and down the block, and my apple tree was vibrating with honeybees. It was the perfect complement to the 70 plus degree day.

Honeybees are one of the coolest creatures, in my opinion. They are not native to North America. They arrived in the 17th Century when European colonizers brought managed hives along for honey and beeswax. Some of the bees escaped and formed wild colonies. Before the bees' arrival, flies and beetles were the primary pollinators on the continent....