The community garden reaches new sustainable measures by getting a beehive
Winthrop’s community garden got a beehive at the beginning of last year. A beekeeping class in York County has allowed Winthrop’s sustainability director, Chris Johnson, and the community gardens head gardener to both obtain their beekeeping licenses. The beehive was placed in the community garden to help maintain the bee population and help the environment.
“A beehive can help with the pollination of the garden and surrounding area,” said Tira Beckham, a junior biology major at Winthrop who has worked with the beehive in the past.
After seeing an increase in climate change over the years it has led to the bee population declining. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the managed honey bee colony population has dropped from 6 million in 1947 to 2.5 million today. Former President Obama required all U.S. departments to restore and protect domestic populations of pollinators, which includes honey bees.
“Bee populations are declining worldwide and many scientists are saying that it is caused by human made climate change. Many people are starting their own beehives on their own properties in order to help protect the bees in the area,” said Beckham.
Having a beehive in the community garden will help add more pollination in the area. Honey bees play a crucial part in the food people eat on a daily basis. A third of all fruits and vegetables are produced and pollinated by honeybees. Honey bees are not just good for pollinating food, but they provide other things as well such as beeswax, propolis, pollen and royal jelly.
A world without bees would be a very different place. The entire ecosystem would change due to lack of pollination leaving plant life and other organisms to suffer.
“Have you ever seen the Bee Movie? When bees are taken away we lost one of our main pollinators. With the loss of one of the most dominant pollinators, our plant life will suffer, and thus cause the collapse of ecosystems all around the world,” said Beckham.
Although beehives are beneficial to the environment and more and more people are becoming beekeepers and placing beehives on their properties, it is a lot of work taking care of a bee colony. To first become a beekeeper, you must learn all about honeys bees and the three different types of honey bees — drone, queen and worker — which would involve taking a beekeeping course at a local university or career center. After you become a certified beekeeper, you must go through the process of purchasing a beehive, getting the tools to keep up the beehive and buying protective clothing. Chris Johnson works hard to keep the beehive healthy.
“Chris Johnson has been in charge of the beehive. He has been checking on the bees, harvesting the honey, and feeding the bees sugar water,” said Beckham.
The bees stay in their bee box during the cold months and begin to fly in and out as the weather warms. McKenzie Kargel, SEAC president and a senior environmental science major, says that opening the bee box during winter months would greatly harm the bee causing some to die.
Winthrop is doing its part to save the declining bee population. Students who are interested in seeing the beehive are able to go to the community garden on Saturday mornings between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m.
