Hurricane Ian hammers bee population

More than 400,000 hives lost; donation effort hopes to mitigate the impact on some Lee bee keepers

By CJ HADDAD cjhaddad@breezenewspapers com

In addition to devastation to infrastructure and property, Hurricane Ian also greatly impacted wildlife

That includes bees

According to the University of Florida Entomology Department, up to 400,000 bee hives were lost during Hurricane Ian -- a substantial number that will have impacts on crop pollination nationwide

Mountain Sweet Honey Company, LLC, out of northern Georgia, recently traveled to Southwest Florida to visit beekeepers that were affected, many of which lost all of their hives due to either flooding or wind They also brought with them supplies, raised by generous customers, to assist these beekeepers

Mountain Sweet Honey specializes in beekeeping supplies throughout the East Coast and Midwest, and hosts a livestream show titled “Buzz TV ” One local beekeeper from the area tuning in commented they had lost all of their bees, and CEO Ray Civitts thought they could do something to help

“We didn’t know how big of an operation each of these beekeepers had,” Civitts said “We wanted to see what we could do We went on the air and asked our customers to join us in helping support these beekeepers ”

Between donations and their own contributions, Civitts and partner Bryan Race loaded up a truck and brought roughly $12,000 in beekeeping supplies to Southwest Florida They surprised four local beekeepers with not one, but five new hives each to start the healing process.

“Beekeepers tend to think of their honeybees as part of their family,” Civitts said “So when they lose family, there’s a lot of heartache there because they went through thick-and-thin times with their honeybees only to see them swept away by the hurricane ”

One of the recipients of new hives was Pine Island resident Uriia Underhill, who lost all 22 of her hives due to Ian She started her journey in as a beekeeper in 2020 with one hive and it rapidly grew The bees helped to pollinate plants on her and her husband’s farm Her first trip back to Pine Island had to be taken three days after the storm via kayak as the bridge was in tatters.

“It was devastation,” Underhill said “Some of the bee hives were mangled and thrown places -- ones that we did find It was just wiped clean ”

Underhill, who worked to strap down her hives before the storm, said she did find one hive on higher ground she found tipped over when she came back for the first time

“I had my veil and I was trying to sit them up, but I didn’t have smoke (to calm them) or anything and they were just going crazy,” she recalled “I remember saying, ‘I’m trying to help you I’m sorry I’m sorry ’ And they either moved on or didn’t make it ”

Underhill said she plans on coming up with an improved emergency response plan for her bees if (and when) another storm presents itself It can be tough in a storm to find a perfect spot to protect from water and wind

When Underhill was presented and surprised with five new hives, she broke down into tears

“It’s just so incredible,” she said of Mountain Sweet Honey’s donation “The bees are a mission to the world It’s such a bigger calling than just what is here For all the farmers, for the ecosystem on Pine Island -- the bees are a big part of that, and I’m glad to help out in any way I can and be of service.

“We hope it gives back to everyone as much as it has to us ”

Civitts said Hurricane Ian was detrimental to the bee population in Florida due to flooding, wind, and how they are programed

"Honeybees have GPS in their brain, and if you move them 100 feet away, they're still going to go back to where they were originally," he said "If there's nothing there, they will still stay there until there's no hope and practically die there "

He said in a case of a hurricane, when water levels rise to the hive, the bees just move to the top of the hive until they are consumed Or, with moving water, the hive gets knocked over and they also drown

Civitts said bees need to be moved at least 2 miles in a sealed hive to “reset” their inner-GPS

“These beekeepers had nothing after the storm,” Civitts said. “Who knows what was in the water, and if that gets into the hive, the bees will not go into it They’ve had to start over ”

Mountain Sweet Honey, along with the hives, will send 10,000 bees and a queen for each hive He said in three months as the hives develop, they could be up to 200,000 bees in each hive

Another Southwest Florida resident Mountain Sweet Honey treated was Brad MacKenzie on Sanibel

MacKenzie, operator of Sanibel Honey, lost all 50 of his hives across the island that were part of the community He, with the help of Mountain Sweet Honey, is determined to bring a flourishing bee population back to Sanibel

“People are excited to have their hives back and to have the cross-pollination,” MacKenzie said “You have to have bees to have things flower, and you have to have flowers to have bees survive That symbiotic relationship will be helped out by bees being here ”

MacKenzie himself was nearly washed away by Ian, as he chose to hunker down His home on 8-foot stilts was taking on 15-feet of storm surge His situation got to a point where he wrote to his family on his wall in Sharpie

To his girlfriend who evacuated: “Andrea, I was wrong I love you ”

He also wrote, “Grayson I love you Mom, Dad, Larry, Alice and Doug, I love you Can’t wait to see you all again ”

MacKenzie recalled, “Here I was realizing my house isn’t going to float And there was no help on the way If I went out to sea, I wasn’t going to be rescued ”

Once his own safety was taken care of, he immediately began to think about the bees and wildlife locally MacKenzie said nearly all of the bees on Sanibel have been decimated as their homes were destroyed

“I was concerned about my home and my community, and the community here includes the bees and wildlife that we enjoy and makes Sanibel so special,” he said “And it was sad and frightening to know that I was not in the worst place ”

MacKenzie added it would be nearly impossible to relocate 50 beehives before the storm, and even if he did get them all loaded up to go, there would be very minimal ideal places to take them

All in all, Hurricane Ian’s impact on the bee population locally will be felt This could mean a lack of “local” honey sales at places such as farmers markets and community stores

“Florida took a huge hit for future pollination,” Civitts said “It comes out to about 15% of the total hives in the U.S. that were lost due to Ian.”

He added flooding out in California recently took a toll on beekeepers out west Canada has lost honeybees at an alarming rate due to spreading virus

“There’s going to be a pollination issue this coming spring There are not enough bees to pollinate,” Civitts said

So, how to get things back on track? Patience and good practice

Civitts said by the spring, hives should be able to be split and grow, and again the next year The sad fact is, there’s just not enough bees to get everything restarted right away.

“When you lost 18 to 19 percent of your bees nationwide, it’s not going to happen overnight,” Civitts said

His concern in that crops need anywhere from 5 to 30% pollination to grow

“I see food scarcity, which means elevated pricing at the grocery store,” Civitts said “We think we’re paying high prices now, wait until the end of the summer ”

For more information on Mountain Sweet Honey, beekeeping supplies and education, visit www mountainsweethoney com

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