Meet the Beekeepers

The honey bee is an amazing animal that hundreds in the region are cultivating by the thousands. The experience of (magically) not getting stung while standing among 30,000 bees humming all around you, is extraordinary. As invincible as these insects can make you feel at that moment, these swarms reveal little of how fragile a bee’s life can be.

THE PLIGHT OF BEES

In 2006, beekeepers in a quarter of the world reported that their honey bees were dying at unprecedented rates. This bee-pocolypse was due to diseases from pesticide exposure, parasites, and fungal pathogens (caused by overcrowding and homogenous diets). Compacting the problem, the colony collapses of the domesticated honey bees also negatively affect native wild bee populations.

What's the BUZZ?!

The local bee community is buzzing.

WRITTEN BY MEGIN POTTER | PHOTOS PROVIDED

ENCOURAGING ECOLOGICAL WELLNESS

For forty years, the Southern Adirondack Beekeepers Association (SABA) has been a valuable resource for the local beekeeping community. It’s 400 members, who are spread between nine counties, keep bees for a variety of reasons. Fariel English took up the hobby in 2008. “With what was going on in the world, I thought, ‘How could we help in some way?’” she said.

NATURE DETECTIVES

The large-scale industrialized agricultural machine treats this tiny animal as a commodity. Thousands of hives are stacked in 18-wheelers and moved from one monoculture environment to another to pollinate crops, English continued. It creates a very stressed bee that is not as healthy. In contrast, hobby beekeepers like herself, use fewer medications, pesticides, and herbicides within their populations. Instead, they maintain health with engaged problem-solving. “There’s always a mystery to solve. Just when you think you know what’s going on, they throw you for a loop,” said English. “I love the unpredictability. It never gets boring.”

URBAN EDUCATORS

Observing bees has many lessons to teach about the inner-workings of nature. “Oh, my goodness, don’t get me started!” said Cindy Elsenbeck joyfully. In addition to tending to the handful of hives she started four years ago, her newest passion is teaching children about the amazing honey bee. She has been teaching 2nd and 3rd graders at Gloversville Elementary School, and elsewhere. In December, Elsenbeck won a grant from The Bee Cause Project to put in an enclosed observation hive at the school. She uses the hive to encourage her junior bee-keepers to conduct scientific investigations into the life cycle, bee biology, and social behavior. “Plus, they make honey, so kids can experience the sweet reward of caring for honeybees,” she said.

INSPIRING CHANGE THROUGH COMMUNICATION

Rick Cobello, the President of SABA, has been a beekeeper for more than 15 years. On their 36 acres in the southern Adirondacks, Cobello and Cathy McCabe, his wife and business partner, produce two types of honey. The wild flowers, lavender, black locust, and basswood that bees forage from in this area give his Hive to Home Honey its unique hyper-local taste. Cobello, the founder of Global Cybersecurity Solutions, believes the bees’ extraordinary communication skills can teach us how to improve technology. “The bee dances when it senses danger and is able to communicate that to the hive in nanoseconds. If we could sense danger in a computer network and shut it down that fast, we’d have fewer problems with hacking, malware, and everything else we deal with in modern life.”

A GREAT ESCAPE

One of SABA’s younger members, Mia Detor, began keeping bees when she was 35 years old. She likes that these animals take less work to care for than a dog and offer a mediative escape from her day. “When I’m in the hives, all I’m thinking about is the bees. I’m completely focused on the task at hand,” she said. New apiarists can begin keeping bees with an initial investment of just $300-$500 (the cost to set-up two hives) and need only commit less than two hours every two weeks to the hobby. In addition to monthly meetings with an “Ask the Beekeeper” component, SABA hosts classes, honeytasting events, bee-yard visits, a mentorship program, and has a lending library with equipment available to borrow. To join SABA or answer any questions, visit sababees.org

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