The community garden is host to some busy workers

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If there’s anything in the animal kingdom that doesn’t get the credit it deserves, it’s the honeybee.

Often mistaken for wasps, bees are swatted, yelled at, and made homeless by destruction of their hives. There is much to learn about the bee – much more than could fit here – but the gist is that the bee is a pretty incredible little bug.

Often venturing outside a two-mile radius of its hive – sometimes up to a six-mile radius – the bee collects pollen, helping fertilize plants around us. All of the worker bees you see foraging for pollen are actually female. Male bees, or drones, stay inside the hive to mate with the queen. And despite what many think, Western honeybees, the species we find in Ohio, are rarely aggressive, and typically only sting to protect their hives.

Unfortunately, bee populations are declining at a rapid rate. Due to global warming, increased use of insecticides and parasites, bees have seen major colony collapse. According to Greenpeace’s SOS Bees, commercial honeybees have seen a 40 percent decline in the U.S. since 2006. Because bees are the most effective pollinators, if bees were to go extinct, the world would see major food shortages and be much less green.

However, awareness of bee decline is only increasing. General Mills is generating buzz, if you will, with its new #BringBackTheBees campaign. General Mills replaced its Honey Nut Cheerios mascot with white space on each box.

The EPA implemented a policy this year in an effort to protect bees from pesticide sprays. In fact, the effort can even be found right in your back yard, in a hive over at the New Albany Community Garden.

Last year, community garden secretary Jacque Spurlock was contacted by local beekeeper Gene Pierce, inquiring if he could make a new home for his bees in the garden. Spurlock, knowing the impact the bees would have on the garden plots, enthusiastically agreed.

“It brings your garden to the next level when you have honeybees,” says Spurlock. “Although your garden can survive without the help of bees, it won’t grow in abundance.”

Initial reaction to the bees, Spurlock says, was positive. There was some fear of stings, especially for garden-goers who enjoy bringing their children, so Spurlock stocked epinephrine autoinjectors in the community garden shed, posted flyers and sent information emails in an effort to educate many of the plot owners. Even better, Pierce’s bees are of a breed known for being docile, and difficult to aggravate.

“They have a very high tolerance to annoyances,” says Pierce. “You can stand right in front of the hive and wave at them, and they just fly around you. They might buzz at your head.”

In fact, Pierce had to move the hive this year – not because bees were stinging community garden patrons, but because patrons were blocking the bees’ entrance to their hive. The bees simply buzzed around the community garden, patiently waiting until they once again had access to their home.

The buzzing and fear of stings seem to be well worth it, however, as hosting the bees turned out positively for the gardeners, Spurlock says.

“It was a lot heavier crop (in 2016). You could just see as you’re walking through the garden,” she says. “It’s just proven that having a honeybee hive can greatly increase the chance of it being heavier and better quality, next-level gardening.”

Pierce has always kept bees in some respect. He began at a young age, when he, his brother and father would help an elderly neighbor with his 20-some hives in upstate New York. His beekeeping career took a back seat for years, but he got back into it about eight years ago, starting with two hives and eventually making his way up to 12.

After moving to New Albany three years ago, he was unable to keep his bees in the back yard, and stopped again. Last year, he heard about the community garden and contacted Spurlock, knowing it was the perfect opportunity to get back into beekeeping. Spurlock immediately welcomed Pierce to the garden.

“I’m just glad that they’re giving me an opportunity to do what I like to do; it’s basically a hobby for me,” says Pierce. “I just love the honey and the honeycomb. I like the social stigmatism that comes with it.”

As soon as others hear he keeps bees, the first question he hears is, “Do you have honey?” The answer is yes – lots of it. Last year, due to mites destroying one of his two hives, Pierce was unable to harvest the honey. However, this year he expects more than 100 pounds from the remaining hive. He has promised each community garden plot holder a honey bear: “Hey, thanks for letting me have my bees here,” Pierce says.

The promise of honey doesn’t seem to be the only reason the gardeners like having Pierce’s bees around, however.

“I personally like being up close with them. Just having (the hive) there gives me a chance to learn about honeybees themselves, and how they help gardens thrive,” Spurlock says. “I think it’s just a powerful impact for my son – more than a book or a video – that he can see hands-on that it’s preserving the environment.”

Gene Pierce’s bumble-free tips:

  • A swarm is when a new bee colony has broken off from its old colony due to the birth of a new queen. If you see a swarm, do not attempt to kill the bees. The Central Ohio Beekeepers Association will send someone out, often free of charge, to rehome the bees somewhere safe.
  • Use bee-friendly weed killers. Many homemade recipes that will not hurt honeybees can be found online.
  • If you spot a bee that appears to be hurt or dying, make a mix using one part sugar, one part water, and place it near the bee. Beekeepers often use this mix for hives that have not produced enough honey to survive the winter.
  • If a honeybee seems to be buzzing back and forth around you, or bumping into you repeatedly, it is the bee’s sign to back off; you’re too close to the hive for comfort. However, non-Africanized honeybees such as Pierce’s rarely sting. Stinging results in death for the bee.
  • At the start of spring, try not to kill dandelions, as they “give the bees a good shot in the arm” in the beginning of the season, says Pierce.
  • Plant bee-friendly plants in your yard. According to The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, hundreds of garden plants are good, but stand-out plants include perennials such as aster, hyssop and milkweed and shrubs such as ninebark, pussy willow and sumac.

Amanda DePerro is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at adeperro@cityscenemediagroup.com.

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