Hearing hundreds of bees buzzing around the yard may seem scary to some people, but to others, it is music to their ears.

For Jack Rowe, an urban forester with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, bee keeping is something he thoroughly enjoys.

“Beekeeping is something that I really enjoy,” Rowe said Wednesday afternoon as he introduced himself to a class of 15 to 20 people at the Selma-Dallas County Public Library.

“Beekeeping is an absolutely amazing idea. It is one of the only domesticated insects we have on Earth, so we’ve been using these guys since about 10,000 B.C.”

Rowe taught a class at the library to introduce people to beekeeping and its benefits.

“When you’re going to get into beekeeping, one of the coolest things you have to ask yourself is why,” Rowe said. “If you think about it, they are small stinging individuals that all work as a group. Also, even if you want to, should you? These are questions you seriously should consider before actually get into the idea.”

Rowe said there are a number of reasons to get into bee keeping. Someone’s reason could be enjoyment, entertainment, education or business, among other reasons.

For Rowe, the reason is enjoyment.

“It is an enthralling hobby,” Rowe said as he showed pictures of himself checking one of his hives. “I can go out to my bee boxes and spend hours. It is absolutely amazing how enthralling it can be. You will be shocked with how much you fall in love with the ladies (bees).”

Rowe calls the bees ladies because the majority of them in the hive are all females with the exception of a few.

“Beekeeping is animal husbandry. This is like dairy cows, chickens, goats, horses and pigs all boiled down into one small fuzzy body,” Rowe said. “You are keeping another animal, and you’re loyalty to it must be profound.”

While beehives can be self-maintaining, Rowe said bee-keeping demands a lot of time and attention that people must be willing to spend on their bees.

The bees need what the bees need when they need it. There is no I’ll get to it tomorrow or I’ll wait until the weekend,” Rowe said.

Beekeeping can be a very profitable hobby. Money can be made from selling wax candles, collecting pollen, raising bees and of course, the honey.

While beekeepers can be profitable, it can also be expensive.

“You could spend a lot of money beekeeping,” Rowe said.

“A box of bees runs anywhere from $80 to $150 depending on the strain of bee you are looking for. It is $300 to $500 just to get a new built hive.”

The hobby, just like any other breed of livestock, requires a lot of equipment. Bees require a box, frames to build their hives on, food and many other necessities. Beekeepers also need equipment to stay safe while handling the bees, such as a protective suit, hat, veil, gloves and a smoker to calm them down.

After introducing the class to the basics of beekeeping, Rowe went into more detail describing the different types of bees, pests and diseases that can hurt the bees and how to properly check a hive.

Other things Rowe said to take into consideration are space, neighbors and laws, and the most important tip he gave the class was knowing about bees. Rowe said the more a beekeeper knows, the better their experience will be.

For more information on beekeeping, visit www.beesource.com, www.alabamabeekeepers.org or contact the Dallas County Cooperative Extension Service, who sponsored the class, at 875-3200.