HIGH SPRINGS ‒ Bees are the most vital insect on the planet for plant pollination and the human food supply. Bees pollinate 80 percent of all flowering plants, including approximately 75 percent of the fruits, nuts, and vegetables grown in the United States. The sweet nectar is widely used as a natural sweetener and by many people in treating coughs and sore throats.

Daniel Dorosheff started beekeeping seven years ago. “At first, I got a few chickens for my yard, but found I wanted to expand to other animals. Both my father and grandfather had raised bees, so I already had an interest in it,” he said. “I read everything I could find on beekeeping to improve my chances of success.”

The practical value of bees as pollinators is enormously greater than the value of their honey and wax production. Bees are entirely dependent on flowers for food, which consists of pollen and nectar, which they modify and store as honey. As bees go from flower to flower gathering pollen, a small amount is rubbed from their bodies and deposited on the flowers they visit. The pollen transfer results in cross pollination, and without this process, plants cannot reproduce. A hive of bees will fly over 55,000 miles to make one pound of honey and can create 100 pounds in a year.

“Over the years I built from one hive and now have 27 hives in various locations,” said Dorosheff. “It was basically a hobby and a way to get honey, but it got to the point I had a large stock of honey.”

Dorosheff said, “At the time, my son Spencer was 16 and asking about getting a car. I offered to split the profits in half if he could sell some of the stored honey.” What began as a small operation turned into a booming business. “Like most of his generation, he made use of social media as a marketing tool and we were suddenly flooded with orders,” said Dorosheff. “Before that, we had just been selling to friends, but we now realized it could be a commercial business and founded our LLC as “Thy Will Bee Done.”

While beekeeping has been around for thousands of years, recently there has been growth in home-based small production beekeepers. Several local beekeepers now offer classes for the novice. Dorosheff received inquiries about how to become a beekeeper, and now with help from his son, they offer classes.

The first half of each two-hour class is lecture focusing on equipment, construction of the hives and the behavior of bees. The second half of the class offers hands-on training of handling the bees safely and the racks. Each hive contains between five and 10 racks that bees build their honeycombs on. In the center of each hive are brood racks, which house both honey and eggs. The outer racks contain mainly honey and are the ones they harvest from.

Classes are small with a limit of five students. Dorosheff outfits each person attending in personal protection gear (PPE) consisting of a hat with netting to keep bees off the face. Each person must wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants as well as gloves so all exposed flesh is covered. While bees are only aggressive when threatened, they will protect the hive and attack. Bees communicate through pheromones scent and if one feels threatened, the others will react to that.

The best way to calm bees is with smoke that both covers the pheromones and has a calming effect on the bees, letting the beekeeper make the hive inspection or honey harvest without major problems.

Dorosheff gathers the class around the hives and applies smoke to the bees, allowing him pull a rack to illustrate construction of the hive, how they harvest the honey and to show the queen and the brood nest.

Each student gets a chance to hold the rack as Dorosheff explains the harvesting process. He says that you never take all the honey since it is also the bee’s food source and good beekeeping management keeps the hive healthy.

Although there is no set schedule for a class, Dorosheff expects to have another class in mid-March. Interested people can contact Spencer at spencerdorosheff@gmail.com or on instagram@thy.willbeedone and facebook at thywillbeedone to register for classes.

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HIGH SPRINGS – In just their second season, the High Springs SwampBots (Team Frogman) came in third place out of 32 teams at the Lego League Panther Prowl Qualifier at Palatka High School on Saturday, Feb. 5. “This is a remarkable feat for local coaches and participants,” said High Springs Parks and Recreation Director Damon Messina.

The objective of SwampBots is to have robots, which are built by the teams, do runs for a period of time. “This is another avenue for children to express themselves creatively,” said Messina. “It’s not only children building robots, but also robots building children.”

There are several teams in Alachua County, and two of those teams are from High Springs and Alachua that partner with the City of High Springs Parks and Recreation Department. Each team consists of eight to 10 kids. The teams practice two to three times a week in the multi-purpose rooms of the old school building behind City Hall. The season is August to February/March each year. Children from fourth to eighth grades are eligible to participate free of charge.

The organization is funded by a grant from the Alachua County Children’s Trust. All funds go toward the registrations, programming, equipment (Lego robotic set), computers, coaches’ stipend, league and tournament fees.

Based on the third-place results, the teams may go on to play in a Southeast Regional competition. Messina said he is grateful to the Alachua County Children’s Trust for their consistent contribution, to President of SwampBots, Ben Sanders for his dedication to the program, and to the High Springs Parks and Recreation Board for advocating the program.

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ On a chilly Feb. 12 morning, 50 runners gathered at the High Springs Civic Center to compete in the aptly named 5K Frozen Foot Race. The 3.1 mile run winds through the High Springs Sports Complex, around Bailey Estates and back into town with varying terrains and elevation changes.

Runners were divided by age and gender into eight groups, with competitors in both male and female categories starting at ages 1 to 18; 18-39; 40-49 and finishing with over 50 years old. Younger kids accompanied their parents in strollers.

The event was started in 2016 by the City of High Springs Parks Department to raise money for improvements at City owned parks. All proceeds go to the department’s budget to purchase playground equipment and facility improvements at area parks. The race has garnered support and sponsorship from other groups as well, including the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe and the High Springs Police and Fire departments. Additional organization sponsoring this year’s event were AAA Porta Serve, Florida Credit Union, McDonalds and Start To Finish Race Management.

The event has grown each year, although the event was canceled last year due to the pandemic, and this year’s event was scaled down with fewer activities than previous races. High Springs CRA director David Sutton says the City is working toward reestablishing the event next year and expand it with children's activities, bounce houses and food trucks.

With the City's recent purchase of the Canoe Outpost on the Santa Fe River, the future may bring a triathlon of sorts that would include a bike ride to the river, a swim and then back to the Civic Center for the footrace.

This past Saturday, at 9 a.m., runners started on the 3.1-mile course, and 21 minutes and 36 seconds later the overall winner, Tim Guinn, crossed the finish line. Female winner Jessica Frey crossed the finish line three minutes later. Both were also the winners in the 18-49 age category.

Awards are given for the top three runners in each group who completed the course. Hudson Williams and Eisley Moore were the winners in the 1 – 18 age category. The winners of the 40-49 category were Spencer- Smith Corbett and Carol Ellis. High Springs Police Chief Antione Shepard finished third in the 40-49 category. In the Senior category of 50 – 98, winners were Thomas Story and Sally Chappell.

Two runners not receiving awards were High Springs Fire Department Lt. Kevin Pearson and Deputy Chief Andy Burkhalter who ran the 3.1-mile course in full turnout gear and on-air, which is similar to a SCUBA tank, in just 41 minutes. The combined weight of the gear and air pack comes in at over 60 pounds.

“This is what we would wear to an actual fire, so doing it for the marathon was good practice to stay fit,” said Burkhalter. “We wanted to challenge ourselves and always be physically prepared for an actual emergency and this was a cause that benefits the community as well with funding for our parks.”

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ALACHUA ‒ Join the fabulous Dance Alive National Ballet at the incomparable annual fundraiser on Saturday, March 12, 2022, 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. at Legacy Park Multipurpose Center, 15400 Peggy Rd, Alachua.

A fabulous time will be had by all! Featuring the extraordinary ‘Dancing With the Stars’ production, this event has it all. Dining, dancing, a silent auction, and the wonderful Dance Alive dancers join with terrific celebrity stars to put on a dynamite show. 

It is without a doubt the most entertaining event you will attend! Chaired by the charming Susannah Peddie, hosted by the terrific Eric Godet, with sumptuous food provided by Blue Water Bay, stunningly decorated by Unforgettable Events, and entertained by the amazing Gosia and Ali band. Prepare to be transported!

PURCHASE TICKETS AND TABLES AND VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE ‘STAR’ AT TICKETS AND VOTING.

Proceeds go to Dance Alive National Ballet’s Outreach and Educational Programming.Sponsored by Parris Dance, Unforgettable Events, Publix Super Market Charities, Legacy Park, and the City of Alachua. 

The STARS & their partners in Dancing With the Stars. Who will win the People's Choice Award? It's Up to YOU!

LADY ‘STARS’ and their professional dance partners

Star Bradbury Star and Jose Ramos

Aubrey Hall and Tim Cannon

Emma Luetgert Emma and Fhilipe Teixeira

Valesca Rugbi and Roberto Vega

Anna Olcese Anna and Andre Valladon

Tara Tara and Nathan Fernandes

Kathy Sarantos and Tales Ribeiro

GENTLEMEN ‘STARS’ and their professional dance partners

Wickie Ariet and Beatriz Correa

Adam Boukari Adam and Rosemary Deiorio

Luis Rodriguez Louis and Emilia Leon

Raymond Chobaz and Ashley Brooke Lunn

David Franklin and Carla Amancio

Maury Ivey and Luana Rayssa

Jeffrey Meldon and Jessie Dominguez

Matt Urban and Marilyn Deiorio

Robert de Rochement, Jr. and Rachel Ridley

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