BELL'S BEES

The same man tasked with leading Gaston County's team of prosecutors can often be seen sporting a mesh mask while tending to a pair of beehives outside the courthouse.

Locke Bell picked up beekeeping nearly two decades ago as a way to spur along growth at his Crouse farm.

"I had a lot of fruit trees and I wanted the bees to pollinate the fruit trees. That was maybe 14, 15 years ago," the district attorney said. "I bought a book and met with some beekeepers as long as I could. Since then I've learned from every mistake I've made. I've made a lot of them."

Bell now has four hives at home in addition to two at the courthouse.

The hobby allows Bell an outlet for relaxation outside of the time he spends in the courtroom prosecuting criminals. But it's a hobby that's also had its share of painful memories.

"About five or six years ago I went out on the Fourth of July and it was 101 degrees," Bell said. "I did not use enough smoke and I got stung a dozen times."

Bell said he's offered each of his assistant district attorneys a chance to explore the hives. They've refused the offer.

The courthouse hives sit a couple hundred feet from the main entrance. One stands about five times the size of the smaller one and is raised off the ground.

The smaller one will eventually be split into two in an effort to create separate colonies. Bell harvests honey from the larger hive, and puts much of it to the good of the community.

"If I have a really good crop we give some to the clerks and we sell them here at the courthouse and the money from that goes to the food bank," Bell said.

The thousands of people who come and go from the courthouse every week aren't at danger of getting stung, Bell said. The bees keep to themselves until Bell tends the hives, usually after work or on the weekends.

Just as a career in law has allowed Bell to effectively cite statutes or recall Supreme Court cases with ease, Bell's years of beekeeping have made him an expert on all things bee.

He spoke at length about how bees adapt to a new queen, how they'd kill a queen improperly introduced into an existing hive, how one queen can lay more than a thousand eggs per day and how each bee serves a vital role in making sure the hive runs smoothly.

And as much as Bell enjoys exploring the hives, he likes observing even more.

"The therapy is just sitting there watching," he said.

You can reach Adam Lawson at 704-869-1842 or on Twitter @GazetteLawson.