The author contacted the Heilbronn Beekeepers' Association and asked for a beginners' course. However, such a course was not offered in Heilbronn this year, and in the neighbouring Weinsberg the course had long since begun.

Now the author had already shown many times that he could acquire new knowledge by studying books and information from the internet in a reasonable short time. He was also advised against starting beekeeping without a course. But he followed the invitation to the Beekeeping Day on 30.06. in the Böckingen bee garden.

On this day he listened for quite a while to a beekeeper who explained to some visitors at an open beehive what happens in this bee colony. The beekeeper was a sympathetic elderly gentleman, the calm in person, who spoke very affectionately about "his girls", and also with them.

When the other visitors had moved on, the author spoke directly to the beekeeper about whether he would support him in his first bee colony. He affirmed this question. The author was happy to have found a beekeeper godfather.

In the following weeks, the author was with him more often and with him at his colonies, and saw and learned a lot.