buzz and fly around as he checks and opens the colony. Inside is fresh honey perfectly encapsulated in little hexagons.
With Eagle Scout troop 17, Miller created a bee hive for his community, where he managed, coordinated, built and planned the details for his scouts project.
“I knew I wanted to do something big, even if it cost me a lot of money or time,” Miller said.
Miller, born and raised in Leander, has been living in the Block House neighborhood. As a Boy Scout and Cub Scout, he would volunteer to help line the loop with flags while lining smaller flags for each patriotic holiday. Miller states he has always had a history of volunteering for his community.
“This is the community that raised me,” Miller said. “This was honestly my first school, friends and community. So knowing that I’m going off to college soon and leaving it behind is kind of like jarring. So you think, what are you doing for your community? I wanted to do something a little bit more. I just wanted to leave something behind so that people would be like ‘that dude was pretty chill.’’
Miller had to propose his project to the Municipal Utility District (MUD). After the proposal, there was a committee formed to guide Miller through the project. The project was approved 3-2.
“Whenever I stick to something, I really stick to it,” Miller said. “I already had basically this layout done and knew what supplies I would be asking for donations from and where I would be getting materials. I had made a whole spreadsheet that had filled out costs and I did cost analysis over shops and whatnot and looking at everything. I had everything set.”
Brett Barr, a beekeeper, was Miller’s mentor throughout the project. Barr and Miller coordinated meetings, and Miller said he scheduled most of the networking meetings where he hosted zoom meetings with the MUD board and his committee and beneficiaries to discuss next steps.
“Mr. Barr is a wonderful individual,” Miller said. “He is truly, he was my right hand man. I would text him and be like, ‘Hey, do you know what kind of thing I would need for this?’ And, of course, he knows these.”
Typically Eagle Scout projects are funded by the scout’s family, and the beneficiary (if they chose to.) For Miller, his beneficiary was the garden, which chose to help fund his project. The entire project cost $1,500.
“I’m so grateful for all that they have done and given me for this project because truly it wouldn’t have been as what it is now without them,” Miller said.
On Sundays, Miller would spend around six hours emailing, communicating, gathering materials and figuring out logistics. He said he spent approximately 12 hours a week, while balancing six AP classes and being involved in seven clubs.
“You have to make time for the things that matter and this really matters to me,” Miller said. “I wouldn’t say it wasn’t difficult to do, but it’s definitely manageable. You have to think about how you proportionate your time.”
Miller hopes to sell honey produced by the bees to farmer markets. The profits earned will be used to maintain the beehives, and to pay Barr for his services.
“It’s bittersweet,” Miller said. “You think about all the things that go into it, all the times that I had spent nights working, emailing, making spreadsheets and documents, all of that work kind of subsides, and then you’re like, ‘well, what do I do now?’ You kind of miss the grind. Seeing it complete was obviously a huge weight off my chest. Just looking at it now, I can always think about the times that I spent going here early in the mornings, leaving late at night, working on it.”
For the project, Miller organized four days of volunteer service. He called in favors from friends, sent emails to sponsors and went to Key Club, NHS and NJHS for help.
“Those were honestly the most stressful [days] that I’d ever had,” Miller said. “Oh, my goodness. It was a lot. They were wonderful. All of them were so wonderful. They did their job. They got everything done. On the first day, I had improperly planned out how many people I would need and ended up asking for too many people. It was wonderful to see people who wanted to work and wanted to get this thing done.”
To maintain a beehive, the bees need certain treatments for mites and regular inspection.
“There’s so much stigma around [bees], but why, though?,” Miller said. “I know people get stung and it’s a terrible thing, but it doesn’t have to be that way. I’ve learned a lot about bees since doing this project. And I haven’t been stung once, ever, in my entire life from a bee or a wasp or anything like that.”
Miller wishes for his project to eventually transform into another Scouts Eagle project, whether it’s planting flowers around or adding more flower beds.
“That would be incredible to see,” Miller said. “I’m hoping that this is some sort of evolving project that, over time, people start engaging with it and building more things, and just, overall, enjoying the garden space.”