Catching a buzz at fair booth

The most surprising thing that Orange County Fair patrons might learn visiting the OC Beekeepers Assn. booth is that people actually choose to keep bees for fun.

They endure the chaos, the occasional bee stings and the time investment just so that they can watch the creatures — which some people call disgusting and frightening — manage hives and get some fresh honey. Of all the hobbies one can have, why choose bees?

“Somebody sees a swarm in their yard, and they’re environmentally conscientious and don’t want to see the destruction of the hive. They’ll say, ‘Well, I’ve got a good-size yard and I’ve got flowers in my yard, so why not get started,” said Dick Marsh, who manned the exhibit with his 11-year-old daughter.

Marsh first started keeping bees when his neighbor on the Eastside of Costa Mesa found a swarm in her bougainvillea plants. He offered to take her hives off of her hands, and soon he had so much honey that he was distributing it to his neighbors in gallon jugs.

Will Burgess, 10, and his friend Owen Hoogeveen, 10, stood mesmerized Wednesday, staring at the bee hive displayed in the booth behind glass plating. Thousands of bees crawled around over one another, packed tighter than sardines, working for the queen bee that was recognizable because of the red dot the keepers painted on her back.

“It’s fun to look at one and just see where it goes, pinpoint one and find out if it will get somewhere or just stay there,” Will said.

He comes and sees the exhibit every year with his family.

Marsh is passing on his interest in bees to his daughter, Summer, who is unique among her middle-school-aged friends in her new hobby. The father-daughter team is working on raising a hive for a 4H project.

“I like to see them pollinate the flowers and find out where they go and how far they go,” Summer said. “One of my friends is interested, but the rest run from them or swat at them.”

There’s no way to raise bees without being stung, though, because they get hidden in the beekeeper suits, Marsh said. The biggest mistake people make is to squeeze bee stings, which releases a toxin into the blood stream.

“The best thing to do is to brush the stinger off without squeezing,” Dick said.

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THINGS TO DO

REGGAE MUSIC

Reggae artists the Wailers, Eek-A-Mouse and Pato Banton will take the Pacific Amphitheatre stage for the Lexus Summer Concert Series. Tickets are $19.50, which includes fair admission. The show starts at 7 tonight.

MEXICAN WRESTLING

The Mexican Lucha Libre wrestlers will be performing their last show at 8:15 tonight in the action sports arena. The show will feature Blue Demon, Vampiro, El Medico, Huracan Ramirez Jr., Kendo, Canadiense and the WPW Superstars Super Stars. Free seating is limited and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Limited seating is available at $12.50.

JAPANESE DRUMMERS

Taikoproject is an ensemble of premiere taiko drummers dedicated to promoting and advancing art of taiko. The group aims to preserve taiko as a dynamic element of Japanese-American culture and heritage. Taikoproject performs daily at 6:15 and 8:15 p.m.