SWEET BUZZINGS OF THE FINGERLAKES BLOG

In the quiet village of Dresden, NY—where bees buzzed, honey flowed, and everyone knew everyone—something strange was brewing in February of when William Keefer awoke to find eight of his honeybee colonies missing. Stolen. Vanished into the cold, still air.

Every once in a while, you come across someone in history who didn’t just leave behind a legacy—they left behind a way of life. Gilbert M. Doolittle, the father of commercial queen-rearing, was one of those extraordinary souls. His methods shaped modern beekeeping. His words sparked thought, laughter, and plenty of lively debate. And his deep devotion to bees and truth—not theory—cemented his place in apicultural history.

Peter Sieling’s journey through time, tracing the lives and legacy of the Cogshall brothers and G.M. Doolittle, is more than just a scenic trip across New York’s backroads. It’s a love letter to the beekeepers who built the foundations we now stand on. These pioneers lived, worked, innovated, and quite literally changed the way honey was harvested, and they did it right here in our neck of the woods.