By Joe Crollard
What’s the buzz on campus? Well, the hope is bees. At least for Director of Community and Environmental Affairs Eulalia Engel, who is currently working with various students and faculty on a proposal with the Associated Student Council to bring beehives to certain locations on our campus.
Why do that?
The fact is, the bee population is dying out.
According to the USDA, since the 1980’s honey bees have been inflicted with numerous pathogens such as deformed wing virus and Nosemo Fungi, often leading to the premature death of honey bees. A total of 22 known bee viruses exist, all of which contribute to an all too common and serious phenomenon called “colony collapse disorder;” the disappearance of entire hives. Top that off with the mass use of dangerous pesticides such as Monsanto’s Roundup that drench our crops, bathing the food that ends up on our table, it’s no wonder that the population of bees has been in steady decline.
And while some may see bees as troublesome or even a threat, the fact remains that they play an incredibly vital role in our environment. More than 85 percent of the plants on earth require or at least benefit from animal-mediated pollination. At least o n e in every three bites of our food depends on bees for pollination. Bees are important.
How exactly could that help OUR campus specifically?
According to Engel, “by putting bees on our already beautiful campus we are not only helping our insect allies but ourselves! It is imperative that students learn about the correlation between CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder) and the use of pesticides.”
It will also give students the opportunity to have a visual example of a real life ecological process in action.
“Having this visual aid can help awaken our students to see the delicate interconnectedness that binds us all to each other and to our environment. We need bees,” Engel said.
Furthermore, something like this could also open to the door to other opportunities for our students.
“Bees on campus would also serve Peninsula College to do further outreach with our farming community. Having experience in beekeeping not only gives students the opportunity to apply for apicultural scholarships, but also gives them an advantage in the local agricultural job market! After all, many of our beekeepers are of retiring age, and we need a new generation of bee stewards,” she said.
But, aren’t bees dangerous?
Not really.
Although some species are more aggressive than others, such as wasps, honey bees and bumblebees are widely known to be generally non-aggressive. While they will defend their colony if needed, they are normally quite docile and keep to themselves. Interestingly, female bees are actually the only ones with stingers, and when they use them they die, so being stung is actually quite uncommon.
Mark Urnes, a longtime member of the Northwest Beekeeper Association agrees.
“One of the most common questions I’m asked is “How often do you get stung?” It varies from year to year but generally fewer than five times. Some years, there are none. If you spend time keeping bees, you have to expect a sting or two. As far as I know, in the twenty years I’ve kept bees, none of my family have ever been stung by my honey bees,” he said.
When it comes to allergies related to honey bees,
“An allergic reaction to honey bee stings occurs very rarely and can result in severe swelling, difficult breathing, shock and sometimes death. I don’t have exact figures but in the U.S., there are around 40 deaths by insect stings every year, half of these by honey bees,” he said.
“In comparison, lightning causes about 80 deaths per year.”
Has this worked on other campuses?
Yes. A prime example of something similar is at Evergreen State College. Evergreen college has one of the top agricultural and ecological study programs in our area, complete with a five acre organic farm, a community garden, green houses and more. Produce from their garden is sold weekly from a farm stand on campus, and there are programs and internships through the college that deal with the various aspects of gardening, farming and even beekeeping.
Will this happen here at PC?
In the end it all comes down to funding and support. Currently everything is in the very early stages, and while our college won’t likely have a setup like Evergreen college any time soon, if it is approved could be the start of some great and ecologically beneficial opportunities.
“Starting with a couple of hives is all we need to get this program going. From there, sky is the limit in what kind of opportunities this could bring to our college! This could grow into a new education program for students, research opportunities, and grants for our school! I have yet to even touch on the benefits of honey!” Engel said.
Eulalia Engel will be meeting with the North Olympic Bee Keeping Association next week, along with other members of the faculty and ASC to discuss the proposal.
All original Photos from wikimedia.com