Summati
THE
n Weekly USPS Publication Number 16300
T h is C om mu n i t y N ewsp a p er is a pu bl ica t ion of E sca m bia / S a n ta Rosa B a r Assoc ia t ion
Section A, Page 1
Vol. 17, No. 4
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Creating a Safe Space for Honeybees
January 25, 2017
1 Section, 8 Pages
By Hana Frenette
Tucked away in a small, shady green corner of Pensacola’s International Airport property, are three small honeybee hives. The hives are housed inside white boxes placed near the tree line along the eastern edge of the property and contain more than 20,000 honeybees each. The hives were installed at the airport in May 2016, making Pensacola one of the newest cities to utilize portions of their airport’s green space for urban beekeeping. Airport property often provides the perfect home for honeybees due to the lack of pesticides and human interference. during the last year. The survey compiled data from more than 20,000 beekeepers is one of the first steps in the USDA’s “National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honeybees and Other Pollinators.” The strategy focuses closely on honeybees and monarch butterflies, and aims to restore or enhance more than 7 million acres of land for pollinators over the next five years through federal actions and public and private partnerships. The plan will also construct a pollinator task force and create educational initiatives for the public. For now, airports,
Johnson and his team will be responsible for maintaining the hives and will check for hive
“In the winter time, we’re always making sure they have stores of honey, and
“The bees provide a very vital function, and in our own little small way, we are encouraging more hives—and the more hives you can get out there, the more you are helping.” beetles, set traps to catch the beetles, maintain the wood of the hive, and pull out the honey when necessary. The honeybees’ food source consists of a two to one mixture
making sure they’re not getting too light.” Although the winters can be harsh on the bees, the summers in the south are far worse. Very few things bloom in the Panhan-
of honey beehives in Pensacola will allow the pollination of more native plants and vegetation, while utilizing empty green space for the betterment of the bees. Flynn said the response from the community regarding the honeybee placement has been overwhelmingly positive. He’s even received positive feedback from other airports that have recently placed bees or are looking to place hives in the future. “I received a call from an airport in San Francisco, and the director had read about the Pensacola Airport in an airport
a small effect for now. “The bees provide a very vital function, and in our own little small way, we are encouraging more hives—and the more hives you can get out there, the more you are helping in general,” he said.
Things you can do to help honeybees from your own backyard Plant bushes and flowers that are going to bloom in July and August. Shelby Johnson suggests hearty bushes that are going to be around for a long time, such as vitex chaste, Mexican heather, sunflowers, and black-eyed Susans. Avoid using pesticides containing neonicotinoids—harsh chemicals that affect the central nervous system of insects, resulting in paralysis and death. Avoid using systematic pesticidespesticides that are applied to the soil or the dirt where the plant is rooted. If you must use pesticides, try using pesticides that are safe to spray directly onto the plant.
photo by Guy Stevens
In addition to major North American cities like Toronto, Seattle and Chicago, European cities, especially in Germany, have incorporated honey beehives to the outskirts of their land in hopes of encouraging positive environmental effects regarding agricultural pollination. The hives are typically kept far away from any day-to-day airport operations and are miles from airplanes, baggage carts and air traffic controllers. “I had been thinking about incorporating hives onto the airport property for a couple of years,” Airport Director Dan Flynn said. “I was reading different publications and taking notice of what other airports around the world were doing.” Flynn and his wife keep honeybee hives in their backyard, so he was aware of the time and dedication it takes to provide the bees with a healthy environment. He reached out to Shelby Johnson, president of the Escarosa Beekeeper’s Association, and the two created a plan for incorporating and maintaining the hives onto airport property. Honeybee populations have steadily declined over the course of the last decade, raising concerns among scientists and environmentalists around the world. Because a large portion of the global food supply relies on pollinators, for growth, a significant decrease in honeybee numbers could pose a major threat thousands of ecosystems. According to a 2016 survey conducted by the Bee Informed Partnership, Apiary Inspectors of America, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), our nation’s beekeepers lost 44 percent of their honeybee population
large corporations and even home gardeners can have a hand in helping the bees. Each week Johnson or a member of the Escarosa Beekeepers Association will check on the bees to make sure the green space is providing a healthy place for them to live.
of sugar and water, which is placed inside the hives in a jar. Johnson noted water as a key component for honeybee health. “We just make sure to look in on them weekly, give them a visual, make sure nothing knocked them over,” Johnson said.
dle during the sweltering months of July and August, which puts a strain on the bees. Once the temperatures drop in the fall and winter, they see lots of blooming wild mustards, camellias and wild Mexican clover. Johnson noted the growing the number
trade publication, and they wanted to know some of the specifics about the hives and the care we provide them,” Flynn said. Flynn said he believe the incorporation of the hives will have a positive effect on Pensacola’s environmental health, even if it’s only
If you’re considering incorporating hives on your property or home garden, consider joining a local honeybee club or coalition. Johnson warns against the dangers of sourcing information online and urges any future beekeeper to find a beekeeping mentor who can physically walk them through the steps of keeping bees. He noted many inexperienced beekeepers have killed entire hives through misinformation.