The Buzzy Life of Bees at Rushton Farm

Rushton Farm bee apiary. Photo by Jennifer Mathes.

By Monica McQuail, Communications Specialist

One sunny midsummer day in 2012 on Rushton Farm, the bees decided to swarm. Noah [Gress], a certified apiarist — and the Sustainable Gardening Manager teaching our cohort on agro-ecology best practices that day — knew exactly what to do and quickly sprang into action. He was able to smoothly and safely locate the queen bee and remove the branch occupied by the swarm. This mesmerizing event lasted only a minute or two, before it was time to return to tending the row crops we were growing to support the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program and donate to the Chester County Food Bank and West Chester Food Cupboard. Despite the brevity of this moment, it made a lasting impression on all of us who were there.

This memory was fondly recounted by Benjamin Reynard, a former intern at Willistown Conservation Trust’s Rushton Farm and the founder of Pollinator Patch, a nonprofit dedicated to restoring backyard habitat with the bees in mind.

Inspired by his experience with the bees, Ben decided to make Rushton Farm the focus of his capstone project that same year, and he began collecting bee specimens to send back to a bee lab for identification. As he explains, “Thanks to the sustainable farming practices, focus on native plantings and abundant open space, we were able to identify 49 unique species of bees at Rushton Farm.”

Today, a specimen representing each of these 49 types of bees is displayed in a large protective box found at the Rushton Conservation Center. These bees serve as a constant reminder of just how diverse nature can be when nurtured sustainably.

BEES ON RUSHTON FARM

As for Noah and the bees, all parties continue to thrive in their mutually beneficial relationship. Five to ten honeybee colonies live in the sunshine on a secluded hill at Rushton Woods Preserve, overlooking Rushton Farm. In addition to the crops grown at the Farm, these pollinators have ample access to the variety of native gardens and wildflower meadows that are found in the warmer months on the 84 protected acres of Rushton Farm and Rushton Woods Preserve.

While only six acres, the Farm’s diverse plant life and holistic approach to ethical farming have created an ecosystem that allows the birds, bees, and other pollinators like flies, butterflies, and wasps to flourish. Director of Community Farm Program Fred De Long and farm staff avoid pesticides and herbicides, remove their polymesh row covers at optimal times to allow pollinators access to the plants, and maintain mulching between rows so the pollinators can overwinter.

Noah Gress teaching Rushton Nature Keepers about honey. Photos by Blake Goll/Staff.

Thanks to the bees, the Farm is able to produce prolific crops; the European honeybee is responsible for pollinating the watermelons, cucumbers, and squash while the native honeybee takes care of pollinating the tomatoes, eggplants, and pumpkins.

Fred uses bees to illustrate the many benefits of sustainable agriculture whenever he visits other local farms and lectures at conferences. He explains, “With the display box of bees, I show farmers that they’re killing 49 species of pollinators alone when they use harmful pesticides. The benefit of these pollinators far outweighs the damage caused by pests.”

A SPOONFUL OF HONEY

In addition to having an incredible sense of smell that allows them to seek out pollen and nectar from their preferred plants, bees are the only insects to produce food eaten by humans: honey, a substance that contains enzymes, vitamins, minerals, waters, and antioxidants that support life. Additionally, honey has the added benefits of a limitless shelf life, allergy relief and wound-healing capabilities.

The bees at Rushton Farm produce hundreds of pounds of honey a year, which is harvested in June and then given to the Farm’s CSA members and used to teach children about the sweet benefits of bees as part of the Trust’s educational programming.

In the spring, the honey is milder in taste and lighter in color as a result of the bees collecting pollen from poppies, black locust, and dandelions. Come fall, the honey tastes bolder and turns darker in color thanks to pollen produced by goldenrod, rudbeckia, and monarda. Tulip poplars are responsible for adding a reddish tint to the honey, and an abundance of locust nectar can help the honeybee produce 30 pounds of honey in just one week.

THE FUTURE OF THE BEES

Next year, Fred plans to facilitate another study of the bees at Rushton Farm. By applying for a grant and bringing out a capstone student from the University of Pennsylvania’s Master in Environmental Science Program, he hopes to document any changes since Ben’s study ten years prior. The overall goal is to understand more about the dwindling bee populations and to continue studying these vital pollinators, the same way the Trust studies birds throughout the year through our extensive Bird Conservation Program.

Like Ben, Noah and Fred, many of us in southeastern Pennsylvania have likely experienced the hypnotic quality that bees elicit. Head outside to a nearby nature preserve bursting with fall blooms, or visit your favorite local apple orchard, and you’ll hear the steady hum of the bees gathering nectar and pollen to feed their colony as they prepare for winter. When these important pollinators emerge from their apartment complex of stacked boxes come spring, Rushton Farm will be more than ready to welcome them back.