NY B We n s T c s Us How Protect H eyb s

BY HELANA SHUMWAY

Did you know that May 20th was National Bee Day? at’s right, the United Nations created this holiday to recognize bees for their crucial role in our everyday lives. Bees are pollinators that help maintain and protect our agriculture and allow our food crops to ourish. Without them, we would face extreme food insecurity, among other concerns.

While there are many di erent types of bees, an organization here in Rochester focuses on honeybees. NY Bee Wellness is a nonpro t that educates beekeepers to raise and promote healthy honeybee colonies in the New York region. Founded by Pat Bono a er receiving an impressive USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development grant, this nonpro t helps educate beekeepers and the public about the importance of honeybee health.

I was fortunate to speak with Pat recently, and she shared the fascinating work that her organization has done so far and hopes to do in the future. According to Pat, honeybees are managed livestock that can be bred and transported. ey are considered “generalist pollinators,” meaning they can pollinate almost anything. It is easy to forget that the honey in our tea comes from such fantastic creatures, but our lives would certainly be less sweet without these bees.

Pat explained that the act of beekeeping used to be fairly easy 40 or so years ago, but then the varroa mite – a tick-like parasite – became an extremely invasive pest and changed beekeeping forever. e varroa mites have the potential to contaminate the honey and wax, so it is essential that every colony receives the upmost care.

rough education and research, Pat and NY Bee Wellness hope to inform beekeepers of the potential threats to honeybee health. A healthy honeybee colony means healthy honey quality.

Whether you are a seasoned beekeeper or are just starting to practice, NY Bee Wellness is full of resources to guide you. e best way to access NY Bee Wellness resources is through their YouTube channel (@ NYBeeWellness). With close to forty videos on honeybee health and beekeeping, these videos are readily available to the public. As evidenced by the near 600,000 views on their channel –along with nearly seven thousand subscribers –they clearly have a large impact in the New York beekeeping world.

“Our goal is to reach as many beekeepers in the public as possible,” Pat shared. One way they reach beekeepers directly is through a survey they send out twice a year to non-migratory beekeepers. is survey focuses on the critical issue of maintaining honeybee colonies during the winter months here in New York State. By collecting data from these surveys, NY Bee Wellness can provide beekeepers with the most up-to-date information on honeybee health and wellness. e survey is particularly important in gauging trends in beekeeping.

NY Bee Wellness also hosts immense bee information on their website, nybeewellness.org. You can nd information on how to manage/maintain queen bees, ward o bear harvests, prevent and treat varroa mite infestations, even what trees and plants to locate around beehives for best bee health and productivity. e organization is an open book of resources, helping novice and veteran beekeepers across the state ensure healthy hives.

Last August, NY Bee Wellness held a three-day workshopatCornellUniversitytoshareinformation and ideas for best practices. LEGO teams around the Rochester area have been investigating and problem-solving ideas surrounding bees, and NY Bee Wellness shares information on those as well. NY Bee Wellness is an incredible source of information for anyone and everyone interested in honeybees. All bees are essential to our everyday lives, and having information from organizations like NY Bee Wellness at our ngertips is a gi . Visit nybeewellness.org for more information.