Beekeeping is a passion for local couple Swarmin Norman&Queen Bee Linda

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 The curve at the bottom of the hollow on Dick Station Road in Sewickley Township,Pennsylvania was once a bustling hub for the townsfolk. A gristmill used water from the  Little Crimson Creek to grind grain and a train station greeted travelers.   A dirt road carried horse and buggy riders past  a little Crimson Schoolhouse that stood atop the knoll overlooking the station.  The schoolhouse still stands, obscured by trees and is fondly remembered as Schoolhouse #3 at Millville/Dick Station built in 1837 and now owned by Norman and Linda Lachimia.     This is where our story begins.....    Norman and I purchased the one-room schoolhouse in 2009 and began restoring the 175-year-old building. For twenty-five years, we admired the structure that was on the property that adjoined ours. With its stone foundation, the wooden schoolhouse was a dream, calling the two of us (a pair of carpenters by trade).     The crimson schoolhouse's slate roof, slender cream windows, and its bell tower perched so alluringly atop the structure had seen the change of the times.   We did not waste any time and began restoring the old schoolhouse to her original beauty, but not without an unexpected obstacle along the way. As we approached the south wall of the schoolhouse, we heard a loud buzzing sound and saw a few friendly fly-by's, all pointing to the honeybees that had taken up residence in the walls. Upon further investigation, which included the dismantling of the schoolhouse wall, we discovered a colony of honeybees. Looking at the size of the colony, these girls had been in the wall for a very long time.    Being avid gardeners and knowing the plight of the honeybee, we wanted to save the bees but had no idea where to begin. The love of gardening had been passed down to "Queen Bee" Linda at an early age. Watching the bees in the schoolhouse wall, while trying to decide what to do with them, brought a flood of memories of her great-grandfather, Michael Dudik, tending to his flowers, vegetables and his bees.  Fondly recalling that he had a no-nonsense sensibility when it came to life as well as gardening. " You make do with what you got.",     he would say in his thick, Slovak accent. Keeping that advice in mind, the decision to keep the bees was an easy one.       We were lucky enough to find a friendly, local beekeeper that was kind enough to come to our property and place the honeybees in a brood box. With the support and help from the local beekeeping community, we were able to establish the hive we now fondly refer to as our "Schoolgirls”, for the Queen and all the worker bees are females!    One thing led to another, and before we knew it, we were both enthralled with the wonderful world of honeybees. The joy of opening that hive has not diminished over time. Today, our business of beekeeping for pollination and honey production is thriving. We are very passionate about what we do. Norman and I enjoy sharing our love and knowledge with anyone that is interested in beekeeping.        Servicing the Local Irwin ,Greensburg and Monroeville area