Paige Costello Wins First Place in a National Essay Contest

Paige Costello has helped keep her family’s bees since she was 4 years old, so it was no surprise that the Carroll County 4-H’er took home the top prize for a National Beekeeping essay contest sponsored by the Foundation for the Preservation of Honeybees, Inc.

“I’ve been homeschooled for the past seven years, and my family has moved around a lot. I’ve been a part of lots of projects in 4-H, including the horse project, bee project, an All Star member and more,” says Costello, the almost 16-year-old, who now lives in West Tennessee.

Her family owns Camp Costello Farms Honey and sells the honey at local farmers markets and through online orders. They plan to add beeswax to the roster soon. Costello heard about the essay contest through her local 4-H program in Carroll County and was excited to share her knowledge about the chosen topic – the importance of beeswax.

The Bee’s Knees

“My essay focused on three main topics – the beehive pantry, nursery and dance floor, Costello says. “All of these components of a beehive use beeswax for different purposes, like storage, brood control and communication within the hive.”

She explains each of the three components – the pantry is where bees would store honey, nectar and pollen that would help feed the bees. The nursery is the part of the comb that stores the brood, which includes baby bees, larvae and pupae.

And the dance floor is the part of the hive where bees communicate with each other through different scents called pheromones, telling each other where to go. In all three of these components, beeswax is a key factor.

“I also included an artistic section about my favorite use for beeswax, which is making crayons,” Costello says.

Sweet Success

As the winning author, Costello received a cash prize of $750, and her essay will be published in the American Beekeeping Federation quarterly magazine.

“It was really awesome to learn that I won, being able to represent my county and other 4-H’ers who want to learn more about bees,” Costello says. When asked what she’s spending the prize money on, she says, “It’s in my savings account and it’s not going anywhere.”

As the 4-H Extension agent for Carroll County, Amanda Paschall has seen Costello’s leadership first-hand. She says Costello’s winning essay captured the attention of the community and 4-H program, educating people on the importance of bees and why we need them to survive.

“As a proactive, highly educated student, Paige serves as an ambassador for our program by shedding light on the entomology and beekeeping project areas, and serving as a role model for the next generation,” she says. “I’m honored to serve as Paige’s 4-H agent and look forward to seeing her accomplish great things.”

Costello says that her experience in 4-H has shaped her as a person, and she hopes to continue encouraging others in the program.

“I think anyone – kid, teenager, adult – should have the chance to experience 4-H,” she says. “It’s been such a huge learning opportunity and something everyone should be a part of.”