Deborah Sasser

As a cable producer, Deborah Sasser once did a story about a local beekeeper and fell in love with the tiny winged honey machines. Now a beekeeper herself for the past four years, Sasser has 10 colonies—that’s a few hundred thousand busy bees—and she advocates providing healthy ecosystems that impact not just the bees but  also the rest of us.

Is there anything wrong with the saying, “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”?
I met and interviewed Mohammad Ali in 1983 while working in Virginia Beach as a producer for Cox Cable. I am certain when that big man hit you, you would feel like you were hit by a Mack truck, not stung by a little bee.  Ali was probably thinking of a yellow jacket or wasp sting, which hurts much worst than a bee sting. But “Float like a butterfly, sting like a wasp” is not as poetic.  

What qualities do you value most in a friend?
Loyalty, honesty and a sense of humor.
 
Describe your most valued possession.
My health is my most valued possession. It has been said beekeepers live on an average of 15 years longer than their non-beekeeping peers because of the many health benefits of honey and all of the bee stings they receive. Bee venom is a natural anti-inflammatory.

What is your least  favorite trait in people?
People that manipulate the situation and take advantage of the weaker person.
 
What would bees tell us if they could talk?  
We are in serious trouble. Please stop using so many chemicals. Pesticides, fungicides, herbicides—these chemicals are poisoning the environment and our food supply. Chemicals are killing us and humans.