Seth Belson

Seth Belson

2011 President, New Jersey Beekeepers Association

We caught up with Seth Belson for an interview for the film as he was closing out his term as president of the New Jersey Beekeepers Association. An attorney with the New Jersey Public Defender’s office, Seth bought a copy of Beekeeping for Dummies and started with one hive in 2006. By 2011, he became the President of a statewide organization for bee folk – a meteoric rise by any standard. “Yes, it was a very quick ride to the top but it’s been a pleasurable ride – a great experience”, he shared.

His passion is unmistakable and he is constantly looking for more bee people to join the hive of activity known as backyard beekeeping. To the non-beekeepers among us, Seth says simply, “Become a beekeeper. In so doing you will join a tradition that dates back to Mesopotamia, to the Great Wall of China, Ancient Jerusalem and even Egypt. It’s an amazing hobby and although you might start beekeeping for one reason, you might find out that bees have a lot to teach you.”

Mr. Belson notes that The New Jersey Beekeeping Association is committed to investing in the future. “Our primary focus is to educate new beekeepers. And we do look for younger beekeepers. We do offer scholarships for ten to twenty-two year-olds. We pay for all their beginning education. And when necessary we provide them with equipment and bees if needed.” The association has seen an explosion of growth, having gone from 500 members just three years ago to well over 1000 members at the present time. When you factor in that most of the new memberships were family memberships, they are looking at up to four to five thousand people now over all associated with the club. “A nice problem to have”, says Seth.

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