The plight of the honeybee: how can you help your local bee?

I began beekeeping two years ago after reading Sue Monk Kidd's book The Secret Life of Bees. The more I read and learned, the inure I realized honeybees are the most fascinating creatures oil the planet! The honeybee pollinates about one third of the food that we eat. And talk about community! Honeybees live an 'it takes a village' mentality. An entire hive will starve to death within inches of food if it means moving away from brood (babies) in wintry weather. They cluster over the brood and vibrate their wings to keep them warm. protecting the babies from killing cold. After becoming fascinated. I joined the Buncombe County Beekeepers club and attended the local "bee school." It was there that I learned about the problems facing honeybees. There have always been predators, diseases and illnesses affecting honeybees, but our garden helpers have no natural defenses against new, recently imported killers.

Two types of mites (varroa and tracheal) that had been killing honeybees in Europe hitched a ride to the U.S in the late 1980s. The tracheal mite is a little one that clogs a bee's breathing tubes, while the varroa is like a tick. The honeybee populations were devastated by mites-a catastrophe from which they've vet to recover. It is estimated there are about fifty percent fewer managed hives in North Carolina today than in 1982. Farmers began to notice reduced yields and inferior quality crops as the wild honeybees succumbed to mites. What once was taken for granted is now a matter of increasing urgency: many farmers must now pay to have honeybees brought in to pollinate their crop.

Researchers raced for a 'cure'. Medications were developed to attack the mites, and for about a decade, they were effective. Now, the mites are growing resistant to treatments. Honeybees, always bred for honey production and gentleness, are now being selected for 'mite resistant' and 'hygienic' traits North Carolina State University is to be commended for disseminating information on IPM (Integrated Pest Management). which gives methods for determining how badly a colony is infested and a variety of ways to deal with it--some organic. Through Extension and a Golden Leaf Foundation grant, NCSU awarded 250 North Carolina lottery winners with two beehives each in efforts to revive our flagging honeybee population. Master Beekeeper Edd Buchanan (known locally as "the Sourwood Man") observed recently at a beekeepers' meeting, "When I look around the room, I see mostly gray hairs or no hairs." It is crucial that young people become involved in Finding a solution that will affect their future.

In January 2006, the Buncombe County Beekeepers stepped up to the plate with the agricultural extension service to put on the WNC bee school, which involved two educational tracks: one for the general public and one for beekeepers. We partnered with Asheville High School and the SILSA (School of Inquiry and Life Sciences Academy) program, which gave us a bigger venue and access to younger students. The highest test scorers won two scholarship hives. Our local experts taught beginners classes and we solicited donations to fly experts from around the country to Asheville for a broader perspective on mites and treatments for beekeepers.

We learned about old techniques fur modern day problems. such as top bar hives and 'small cell' bees. Apparently. honeybees used to be smaller before humans decided a bigger bee was better for honey production Now, there are indications the artificial selection may have left honeybees more susceptible to mites and the diseases they spread. Two bee school speakers had anecdotal research on their success with small cell bees. Varroa mites feed on the developing bee larvae. Small cell bees may disrupt the mite's life cycle by hatching sooner, depriving mites the opportunity to build overwhelming populations.

I'm hoping that by now you are asking yourself, "What can I do to help the honeybee?"

* If you've ever considered beekeeping, now is the time. Our local bee school is free and starts in January. Go to www. wncbees.org for information later in the year. Other counties put on bee schools as well.

* If you have a yard, rethink your definition of weeds. In an earlier issue of New Life Journal, Corinna Wood told you why it is beneficial to have dandelions, chickweed and plantain in your yard.--If you are a gardener, thanks for doing your part to help the honeybee! If you must use pesticides, please read and follow the labels carefully. Sevin is extremely toxic to honeybees.

* New homebuyers and developers, please don't cut down sourwood trees: that's our golden lifeblood for Appalachian beekeeping. Tulip poplars and black locust trees also make a fine honey.

* Everyone should try to learn the difference between a yellow jacket and a honeybee. Here's where the gentle honeybee gets a bad rep. If it flies out of the ground and stings you more than once ... it ain't a honeybee. Run for your life!

* If you see a cluster or swarm of honeybees on your property or near your house, call the Buncombe County Extension Service and they'll send out a beekeeper to gather those girls up and give them a new home.

* Eat local honey. Globalization can mean imported, corporate honey, so why not stick with your own local flora and fauna? If you've only tasted grocery store brand honey, you don't know what you're missing! Research is catching up with folk remedies regarding the many health benefits of hive products such as honey, pollen and propolis.

There is more to the honeybee than pollination ... if we do our part to ensure their future.