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"At one time, there were a lot of beekeepers in New Jersey. They came over from the old country and kept bees on sheds, rooftops, anywhere," said Raybold, who spends his days inspecting hives and educating the public about bees. New Jersey's bee history predates the Revolution, at a time when production of honey -- a less-expensive sweetener than sugar -- and beeswax were major industries. The brown-and-yellowish insects were so important that some 18th-century currency featured images of honeybees, the http://HistoricCamdenCounty.com Web site says.

Last year, some 384,000 pounds of honey were produced by 12,000 honeybee colonies in the state, down from 480,000 pounds and 16,000 colonies in 1986, according to the agriculture department. Honeybees also are valued for their role in fruit and vegetable production. Bees pollinate crops such as blueberries, cranberries, apples, cucumbers and pumpkins, creating plants that yield larger, lusher fruits and vegetables.

"It's critical to blueberries. It's like insurance; the growers that bring in bees have healthier plants," said Paul Galletta, owner of Atlantic Blueberry Company in Atlantic County and a member of the state's Bee Advisory Board.

PESTS AND BANS

Starting in the late 1980s, two pests -- the Varroa mite and the tracheal mite -- began decimating honeybee colonies across the country. The problem got so bad that last winter, more than half the bees Raybold surveyed were dead. Surveys of 260 hives this winter showed about 35 percent loss, he said. As the mites began their rampage, the number of beekeepers also dropped, from as many as 5,000 to half that. Bee experts say one reason for the falloff is that people have less time to putter with hobbies, but they also say the mites have discouraged beekeepers by either wiping out their hives or forcing them to buy expensive pesticides.

Also, a handful of suburban towns have banned beekeeping. Alpine is one. "This is a residential town. Even if there's only a remote chance of, let's say, some child being stung ...," said Mayor Paul Tomasko. He said residents have asked, 'Why should we have to deal with that?" To pollinate their crops, many New Jersey farmers rely on migrant beekeepers, who transport rented insects from Florida and other warm climes. But the cost for bringing in colonies -- each with about 50,000 to 75,000 bees -- is rising. Some farmers said they expect to pay as much as $75 per colony this year, up from around $40 last year.

"It's astronomical," said Atlantic Blueberry Company's Galletta. His farm may rent as many as 2,500 colonies to pollinate 1,300 acres of blueberries. That is likely to mean more expensive blueberries, he said.

STARTING AS A HOBBY

State officials don't expect the new program to eliminate the need for migrant beekeepers, but it may help. Most new beekeepers are expected to be hobbyists, but one or two eventually may go into commercial beekeeping, Raybold said. In the future, hopes to kill the mites will rest on new chemicals, breeding of better bees, and new beekeeping procedures, Raybold said.

Both Raybold, 64, and Hunterdon County beekeeper Jim Pauch, 58, grew up around bees. Raybold, who used to tag along as a boy with a Warren County neighbor who was a honeybee inspector, said he started raising bees when he was 15. Both men bypassed the chance to wear protective gear when they inspected bees at the farm recently. "Unless you bother them, they're not going to bother you," Raybold said.

The greater risk of stings is from yellow jackets and wasps, he said. Valerie Palluzzi of Old Bridge, a beekeeping hopeful, said she can't wait to get started. She said she signed up the day after learning about the bee class, because she wanted to help. "Beekeepers are just like farmers, it's a dying breed," she said.

A waste hauler and part-time veterinary receptionist, Palluzzi said she will start her bees in Old Bridge, then may expand to land she owns in Upper Freehold "if I don't get stung."