Young beekeeper from Silber Valley triumphs in the national competition!

Young beekeeper from Silber Valley triumphs in the national competition!

Schruns, Österreich - Fabio Rieder, a 16-year-old young beekeeper from Silber Valley, caused a sensation at the Austrian young beekeeper competition in Tamsweg. He prevailed against around 25 competitors from all over Austria and secured first place. The competition took place from May 19 to 21 in Schattendorf, Burgenland, and included both a theoretical test with 50 questions and 13 practical stations, including working in bee people and honey sensors. Rieder started his beekeeping trip after discovering a beehive in his own garden and joined a basic course where he met his mentor Helmut Graf.

During the ceremony, which took place in the Hotel Josefsheim in Schruns, Fabio was honored by Mayor Thomas Zudrell and Christian Brugger, the chairman of the Vorarlberg beekeeping association. Zudrell praised the enthusiasm of young people for the beekeeping and congratulated Rieder on his outstanding performance.

competition and challenges

The participants of the competition not only had to put themselves on theoretical challenges, but also demonstrate practical skills at the bee stand. Among other things, the treated topics included traditional plants, drone drawing and microscopy, which shows that the level of young beekeepers has improved significantly in recent years. The three best young beekeepers from Austria, including Jakob Zöchbauer, Clara Sergl and Florian Schlojer, also have the opportunity to show their skills in the international competition in Slovenia in July.

Rieder and his colleague Alexander Greunig, who also comes from Vorarlberg, competed for the second time and took place 9 and 11 out of a total of 21 participants. Although Fabio is very satisfied with his performance, he remains unsure whether he will take part in further competitions. He sees his future both in beekeeping and in his training as a mechatronics engineer at Illwerke VKW.

beekeeping - one year full of activities

beekeeping is more than just a hobby; She brings numerous challenges and responsibilities. A bee colony can include between 50,000 and 200,000 bees, and the distribution of tasks is very precisely regulated. For example, the workers have to clean the cells immediately after the slip and warm the brood while the queen is responsible for reproduction. The organization of a bee people consists of a queen, many workers and some drones that together secure the survival of the colony.

Rieder not only further developed its own skills, but also promoted awareness of the importance of bees and beekeeping. His mentor, Helmut Graf, encourages other interested parties to actively get involved in this area in order to keep the tradition of beekeeping alive.