What’s all the buzz about?
Backyard beekeeping sees big bump in popularity
Tina Sebestyen cradled the buzzing, squirming mass in her hand, touching and petting the bees as they swarmed around the honeycomb she was holding.
“Bees and beekeeping includes a little bit of everything: mystery, danger,” Sebestyen said. “There’s a lot you can learn from your bees.”
Since she started the Four Corners Beekeepers Association, Sebestyen has seen exponential increases in the number of members who own bees or are looking to start their own hives. Since she started the association, also called the Buzz Club, in February 2010, the group has grown from seven members to 60. On the state level, the story has been the same, said Beth Conrey, president of the Colorado State Beekeepers Association.
“We have seen a tremendous amount of growth in the hobby of beekeeping,” Conrey said.
With more beekeepers, new associations are popping up in regions across the state as well, including ones representing the Western Slope, the Four Corners and Brighton, she said.
Though the obvious benefits of the endeavor include honey and improved pollination to nearby plants, many people also pick up beekeeping with a broader intention of helping the bees and the ecosystem they support.
“People don’t necessarily want just the honey or the pollination,” Conrey said. “People want to help the bees.”
Saving the world, one bee at a time
Many backyard beekeepers want to be a counter force against Colony Collapse Disorder, a phenomenon in which the bees from a hive abruptly disappear, and other threats to bee populations, Sebestyen said. In the last four years, losses from honey bee colonies have averaged 30 percent, according to annual surveys conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Apiary Inspectors of America. This is significant because bees fit into the larger picture of a healthy environment, Sebestyen said.
“A lot of people are concerned about the environment in general as well as Colony Collapse Disorder,” she said. “They want to help the world be more balanced, and bees are a good way to do that.”
The state bee association’s numbers show that backyard beekeepers are increasingly filling the gap left by commercial keepers who are forced to leave the business as declining bee populations make it unprofitable, Conrey said. In recent years, the number of commercial operators in the association has fallen from 70 percent to 40 percent, while the number of small sideline or hobbyist beekeepers has grown to 60 percent.
As the ratio continues to tilt, there is an increasing need for recreational beekeepers to play a bigger role in pollinating around the area, Sebestyen said. She has noticed increasing numbers of calls from farmers looking for beekeepers willing to bring hives to their farms or orchards, she said.
Dick Emmett is among other people who took matters into their own hands. He and his wife started seeing fewer bees in their gardens and on fruit trees, so he started a hive three weeks ago.
Chris Lopez got his bees about the same time. His father raised bees, and he has been interested ever since, he said.
“It’s a good service to have pollinators around,” he said. “I’m fascinated by them.”
For the love of bees
Even if they weren’t before, most amateur beekeepers quickly become fascinated by their bees.
“They are such incredible creatures,” said Penny Klusman, who got a hive about a month ago to complement her and husband Lane Klusman’s garden and ranching operations. “I love to open up the hive, see new combs and the different stages of babies. It’s fascinating to see them work.”
Sebestyen said she regularly sits outside her hives just to watch her bees come and go.
“It’s like seeing another world,” she said. “I love the mystery of the secret life of bees.”
Conrey called bees addictive.
“The sheer joy of keeping bees is something that more people need to experience,” she said.
The art of beekeeping
Though any increase in beekeeping is beneficial to the species, Conrey cautioned against people jumping into the endeavor without any knowledge. Many amateur beekeepers wrongly assume that the only work involved in raising bees is putting in the hive and collecting honey, Conrey said.
“There’s a myth that you can keep bees without doing anything,” she said. “People don’t realize how much work and money is involved.”
Maintaining a healthy bee colony can require anything from finding the right essential oils to kill mites to removing and rehousing an ailing bee colony.
Bee associations are critical because they provide opportunities for personalized education and advice that people may not get otherwise, Conrey said.
Sebestyen agreed that beekeepers associations are crucial to the growth of backyard beekeeping. There’s only so much that beekeepers can learn from books, Sebestyen said. The other knowledge – the “art of beekeeping ” – is learned through talking with other beekeepers and hands-on practice, she said.
“Beekeeping isn’t that simple. There’s a lot to learn about how to handle bees and manage them for their best health,” she said. “There are lots of ways to do things, so it helps to have someone to guide you.”
The Buzz Club has been a crucial resource for Lane Klusman.
“It’s great to have people who have more experience to bounce questions off of,” he said. “You can only read so much in a book, so the one-on-one experience has been great.”
ecowan@durango herald.com
Tina Sebestyen cradled the buzzing, squirming mass in her hand, touching and petting the bees as they swarmed around the honeycomb she was holding.
SHAUN STANLEY/Herald
Tina Sebestyen, founder of the Four Corners Beekeepers Association, shows honey cones from her hives.
SHAUN STANLEY/Herald
Tina Sebestyn, founder of the Four Corners Beekeepers Association, tends to her beehives.
SHAUN STANLEY/Herald
Tina Sebestyn, founder of the Four Corners Beekeepers Association shows a bee hive to house guests.
“Bees and beekeeping includes a little bit of everything: mystery, danger,” Sebestyen said. “There’s a lot you can learn from your bees.”
Since she started the Four Corners Beekeepers Association, Sebestyen has seen exponential increases in the number of members who own bees or are looking to start their own hives. Since she started the association, also called the Buzz Club, in February 2010, the group has grown from seven members to 60. On the state level, the story has been the same, said Beth Conrey, president of the Colorado State Beekeepers Association.
“We have seen a tremendous amount of growth in the hobby of beekeeping,” Conrey said.
With more beekeepers, new associations are popping up in regions across the state as well, including ones representing the Western Slope, the Four Corners and Brighton, she said.
Though the obvious benefits of the endeavor include honey and improved pollination to nearby plants, many people also pick up beekeeping with a broader intention of helping the bees and the ecosystem they support.
“People don’t necessarily want just the honey or the pollination,” Conrey said. “People want to help the bees.”
Saving the world, one bee at a time
Many backyard beekeepers want to be a counter force against Colony Collapse Disorder, a phenomenon in which the bees from a hive abruptly disappear, and other threats to bee populations, Sebestyen said. In the last four years, losses from honey bee colonies have averaged 30 percent, according to annual surveys conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Apiary Inspectors of America. This is significant because bees fit into the larger picture of a healthy environment, Sebestyen said.
“A lot of people are concerned about the environment in general as well as Colony Collapse Disorder,” she said. “They want to help the world be more balanced, and bees are a good way to do that.”
The state bee association’s numbers show that backyard beekeepers are increasingly filling the gap left by commercial keepers who are forced to leave the business as declining bee populations make it unprofitable, Conrey said. In recent years, the number of commercial operators in the association has fallen from 70 percent to 40 percent, while the number of small sideline or hobbyist beekeepers has grown to 60 percent.
As the ratio continues to tilt, there is an increasing need for recreational beekeepers to play a bigger role in pollinating around the area, Sebestyen said. She has noticed increasing numbers of calls from farmers looking for beekeepers willing to bring hives to their farms or orchards, she said.
Dick Emmett is among other people who took matters into their own hands. He and his wife started seeing fewer bees in their gardens and on fruit trees, so he started a hive three weeks ago.
Chris Lopez got his bees about the same time. His father raised bees, and he has been interested ever since, he said.
“It’s a good service to have pollinators around,” he said. “I’m fascinated by them.”
For the love of bees
Even if they weren’t before, most amateur beekeepers quickly become fascinated by their bees.
“They are such incredible creatures,” said Penny Klusman, who got a hive about a month ago to complement her and husband Lane Klusman’s garden and ranching operations. “I love to open up the hive, see new combs and the different stages of babies. It’s fascinating to see them work.”
Sebestyen said she regularly sits outside her hives just to watch her bees come and go.
“It’s like seeing another world,” she said. “I love the mystery of the secret life of bees.”
Conrey called bees addictive.
“The sheer joy of keeping bees is something that more people need to experience,” she said.
The art of beekeeping
Though any increase in beekeeping is beneficial to the species, Conrey cautioned against people jumping into the endeavor without any knowledge. Many amateur beekeepers wrongly assume that the only work involved in raising bees is putting in the hive and collecting honey, Conrey said.
“There’s a myth that you can keep bees without doing anything,” she said. “People don’t realize how much work and money is involved.”
Maintaining a healthy bee colony can require anything from finding the right essential oils to kill mites to removing and rehousing an ailing bee colony.
Bee associations are critical because they provide opportunities for personalized education and advice that people may not get otherwise, Conrey said.
Sebestyen agreed that beekeepers associations are crucial to the growth of backyard beekeeping. There’s only so much that beekeepers can learn from books, Sebestyen said. The other knowledge – the “art of beekeeping ” – is learned through talking with other beekeepers and hands-on practice, she said.
“Beekeeping isn’t that simple. There’s a lot to learn about how to handle bees and manage them for their best health,” she said. “There are lots of ways to do things, so it helps to have someone to guide you.”
The Buzz Club has been a crucial resource for Lane Klusman.
“It’s great to have people who have more experience to bounce questions off of,” he said. “You can only read so much in a book, so the one-on-one experience has been great.”
ecowan@durango herald.com
Shameless Screen Grab courtesy of The Durango Herald
Colorado: Fighting Honey Bee Colony Collapse Disorder
Shameless plug: An old friend of the Overlord's has a homegrown bee operation in Seattle. I'm very jealous.
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