HEALTHLY HIVES

Nurturing a beehive can turn out to be nearly as sweet as the liquid gold found at the end.

- CAITLYN DECKER

Sometimes, beekeeping can be sticky. While the idea of fresh honey, nutrient-rich pollen and natural wonders of beeswax and other products of bees are enough to set any bee-enthusiast's mind abuzz. The possibilities and benefits that await just on the other side of starting a hive are seemingly endless. But sometimes the in-between of getting there and maintaining a hive to reap those benefits can be easier said than done. As with most of the best things in life, receiving the gold takes hard work.

It's not a blind endeavor, however, but one that with advice from experienced beekeepers and helpful tips backed by research can be one that yields as rewarding a journey as the final product.

PEST MANAGEMENT

One of the most important factors for any beekeeper new or experienced is to upkeep proper pest management. While to most pest management might sound like guarding against insects and flying creatures such as honeybees, to the beekeeper, management takes to the skies.

Aerosol pesticides are one of the largest opponents to honeybees, contaminating over 90% of pollen from beehives according to research from The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation ("The Risks of Pesticides to Pollinators") and others. Harmful pesticides are known to affect the productivity of hives in their foraging, constructing and reproductive abilities, but even more, harmful pesticides are known to do more damage on a colony-size scale and even lead to hive collapse.

To prevent this, Christy Payne, owner of Big V Honey Bee of Collinsville, Oklahoma, encourages beekeepers to be intentional in their herbicide and pesticide usage, rotation of products and even lawn mowing schedule.