The bees are buzzing, and so is this N.L. beekeeper from Nigeria

Growing up as a beekeeper in Nigeria, William Kigbu said protecting his bees overthe winter months was a foreign concept before continuing his hobbyin Newfoundland.

"I've never heard that term before," Kigbu told CBC News. "Here you have to winterize them, protect them from too much exposure to the cold and wind."

Kigbu,the volunteer beekeeper at O'Brien Farm in St. John's, works to maintain the apiary's four hives.

The bees are hard at work as pollinators on the farm, he said, which makes fora great environment for beekeeping.

"I grew up on a farm in Nigeria. My dad had some bees at the farm, so I was helping with beekeeping and stuff," he said.

"It's an interesting venture, I must say. I enjoy it quite a bit."

Kigbu said he finds working with the bees to be very calming and he's often enthralled watching them perform their assigned roles in the hive.

"Understanding how these bees behave, and how humans can work with them and make them mutually beneficial to both of us, they help the plants and they give us honey," he said.

"And as you workwith them, somehow you get to even understand their language in a way. You can know when they're agitated, know when they're calm,[or when] they're in a very happy mood. They're telling me that everything is fine in the hive. The queen is there, and life is good."

Kigbu said the move to Newfoundland beekeeping also comes with different methods. In Nigeria, for example, he and his fatheroften collected bees using jam inside of a swarm box. In Newfoundland, they have to be purchased.

He's also experimenting with introducing top bar hives, theoldest and most commonly used style of hivein the world.The style of hive allows the beesto create their own combs, as opposed to the frames oftheLangstroth hive used in much of the province.

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador