Meet UAE's 'Bee Fairy Lady' Who Once Avoided Animals, Became Beekeeping Trainer

A chance encounter with bees turned this uninspired veterinary student into a self-proclaimed“Bee Fairy Lady”.

Despite not intending to work with animals, Dr Meriem Hammal went into veterinary medicine because her parents wanted her to pursue some form of medicine. When Meriem was halfway through her degree, all the while juggling a master's degree in marketing, she had to go through animal training as part of her degree work.

She was given a choice of animals to look after as part of her university training: cats and dogs, horses and camels, or bees. Funnily enough, she chose the last option because, as she puts it, they don't need a lot of maintenance, and Meriem didn't have to show up to training every day.

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The first bee encounter

When Meriem first went into a little farm in Algeria to work with her mentor, she wasn't expecting much. However, stepping into the small enclosure where the bees were kept completely changed her whole outlook on the fuzzy, black-and-yellow insects.

“It was my first time in the hives. I don't know. I cannot describe that feeling,” she said, remembering the calm she felt with the bees softly buzzing all around her. It was the first time I felt completely disconnected,” she recalled.

She admitted, however, that she was a little scared before entering and was fully suited up so as to make sure no bee would sting her. Her mentor, on the other hand, went inside the bee enclosure with nothing but a veil for the face, wearing shorts and a shirt.“He was on a suicide mission,' she joked.

Soon after that encounter, her mandatory weekly meetings with the bees quickly turned into something she looked forward to.“I started being curious and asking questions. Why do bees sting? Why this? Why that?” The training was intended for three months, but Meriem was so fascinated by the bees that she extended her stay at the farm for three years.

“Once I graduated, (my mentor) offered me the first hive that I killed. I lost the queen,” she said sympathetically. After that, the self-proclaimed 'Bee Fairy' flew to France to specialise in small animal surgery, where she also finished her master's.“There, one of my professors was also a beekeeper,” she said.“It was like destiny. It's calling me.”

New beekeeping course

Now, the beekeeper is starting her own course at Expo to teach adults and children as young as nine how to take care of bees. It will run every Sunday for five weeks, starting from January 18. Although Meriem went to great lengths to be where she is today to become a beekeeper, others don't have to for this course.“You just need to bring your curiosity. You just need to bring your love for nature and to be open-minded,” she said.

Watch this video as Meriem speaks about her upcoming course:

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