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Collecting stamps, horseback riding, and building model airplanes are great hobbies for all ages.

But there's a new movement taking over in the Tri-County area-Charleston Beekeepers Association. Conducted by Rob Holmes, these classes help anyone become certifiable in the art of honeybees and beekeeping. Classes are held on Fridays and Saturdays.

The course and classes are designed for beginners, prospective beekeepers and anyone interested in the bee's world and how do it all successfully.

"The basics of managing a colony are taught as well as more specific details about pest management," Holmes said. "Bee biology and the hive's societal habits are covered too. And of course we talk a lot about honey and the benefits of bees as pollinators."

As the president of Charleston Beekeepers Association, as a child, Holmes would frequently visit his grandfather in Greenwood County where he had a farm that kept four to five hives.

These hives sat in a row facing a field and as a curious young boy looking out the kitchen window, he would be awestruck by the structure and environment these hives illustrated.

"I think I was fascinated by the bees even though I never helped with them," Holmes said.

In 2007, as a hobby, Holmes began two colonies in the outdoors where he taught his children about God's elaborate design of nature. His kids, being home schooled, are on hand to help manage the hives and check on the bees, as beekeeping was their science curriculum for the school year.

Other than having an interest at his grandparent's farm, Holmes had little experience with beekeeping and decided to give it a try. With the encouragement from other beekeepers and a few failed attempts and hardships, Holmes soon realized this was not an easy task.

"We had a disastrous first year and though the bees made lots of honey, we lost it due to the African Small Hive Beetle infestation in one of the colonies," he said. "After that, as with many beekeepers, one learns from the errors and hopes to find other more experienced people to talk to."

Statistically, there is indication that bee colonies are on the decline all over the world.

There have been inexplicable collapses and studies continue to be done on various possible causes of stress and disease.

It is the abuse of pesticide from agriculture and yard maintenance practices that researches believe is the cause.

"A single factor, like stress from hive pests, can lead to bee demise because of the addition of another factor, like ingestion of a pesticide while the bees are already stressed by attack of mites," Holmes said.

In South Carolina, there is specific date about numbers of hives, from the high census figure in the 1940s through today, the number of hives in the state have halved.

"In the days of smaller family-run farms, there were more bees because most farmers like my 'PaPa' kept them as a means of pollination. Those were the days before commercial pollination and honey production on a national business scale. One did not have to ask, as we do today, whether honey is 'local' or not. Today, even if you go to Whole Foods or other environmentally outlets, they display honey produced in the Upstate mountains as 'local', and call it pure even though produced by a commercial outfit that uses chemicals to manage its production," Holmes explained.

There is a $40 membership charge, which includes a course book and membership in both the Charleston Area Beekeepers Association and the South Carolina Beekeepers Association.

If you are under the age of 16, the charge is $25.

To receive more information regarding the course, contact Holmes at (843) 708-1877 or charlestonbees@gmail.org. CABA meetings are from 8-10 a.m. the first Saturday of each month at Bond Hall 166, Citadel campus, downtown Charleston.