Conversation buzzed around the circle outside Weshop as the final stragglers came to join the waiting group. The early-fall briskness of the morning had given way to an Indian summer afternoon, so sweatshirts and flannels were tied around waists. Nick Martino ’15, Erin McGrath ’16, and Matilda Ostow ’17, three of the leaders of the Wesleyan Beekeepers Club, met in small groups with around two dozen interested students.
This would be many of the students’ first visit to a beehive. In fact, even the leaders were fairly new to beekeeping; the club was founded just last year. Yet, its organizers believe that with effective outreach efforts and efficient planning, this will be a big year for the club on campus.
On the afternoon of Sept. 8, Emerson Martin, an experienced beekeeper, was in town to speak to the club about alternative beekeeping methods. Martin, who wore a yellow mesh snap-back cap that read “Power to the People,” discussed the many compounds found in the stingers of the different species.
“I actually like getting stung,” he said. “You get up the next morning with a little more lubrication in the joints. It feels good.”
Finally, it was time to make the 15-minute trek to Long Lane Farm on the edge of campus, where Wesleyan’s hives are located. Once there, Martin formally introduced himself. Martin is a permaculturist from western Massachusetts who devotes his free time to tending eight beehives in his backyard. He studied environmental design and biology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Out of college, Martin worked as a gardener and carpenter. He struggled with intense allergies in the spring, for which he found relief by eating local honey throughout the year to build up his immune system. He was intrigued by bees, and, three and a half years ago, acquired a hive of his own.
“It manifested out of interest and understanding that this creature is essential for our food and ecosystem health,” Martin said.
Bees have long been considered relevant to human life: sociologists have made connections between bee and human societies, and feminist scholars have studied the significance of the queen bee as matriarchal leader of the hive. Bees are also strongly represented in Egyptian and Celtic mythology.
Lately, the dramatic decline in bee populations around the world has attracted global attention. In the United States alone, the bee population has declined 40 percent since 2006. This drop can mainly be attributed to a phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), which can wipe out an entire hive without warning. CCD is believed to be the result of the overuse of pesticides, particularly those containing neonicotinoid neurotoxins, which have already been banned by the European Union.
In order to keep pace with the demand for food, beekeeping has become a much more mechanized process in recent decades. Much of this exploitation has stemmed from the anthropocentric view of the situation: how can humans use bees to get what we need?
“Sometimes beekeepers forget to look at the health of the bees; they’re looking at how much honey they can get out of the hive,” Martin said.
The use of poisonous pesticides has become the main method for controlling Varroa mite infestations, which can wipe out hives in a season. However, this comes with its own repercussions, and bee populations continue to drop.
In response to the mistreatment of bees, a movement in favor of alternative beekeeping methods has emerged. The movement reexamines the process from an apicentric point of view, meaning that the bees’ best interest is a priority. Martin uses and adapts alternative beekeeping methods, including using different types of hives and screens for mite control, and fostering natural combs.
“I feel it’s my responsibility to keep them healthy and alive,” Martin said.
The Wesleyan Beekeeping Club organizers brought Martin to campus to share some of his wisdom regarding alternative beekeeping methods. After a rocky start to the club last year, with the entire hive dying over the winter, Martino, McGrath, Ostow, and Jaya Sahihi ’17, another coordinator, are looking to rebuild the hives to be stronger.
“We’re starting to make choices with more thought,” McGrath said.
Last year, many choices were made for them: the bees were donated by an alumnus in hives with the standard Langstroth design, in which the bees build honeycombs into wooden frames. Langstroth hives are designed to prioritize efficient honey production rather than the comfort of the bees. This year, the club wants to experiment with a Top Bar design.
“It allows the bees to build the hive pretty much like they would anywhere else,” McGrath said.
Though less productive, this more natural way of beekeeping keeps the bees happier and healthier.
Right now, the club’s organizers are focused on spreading the word about the beehives and the club on campus.
“The first step is awareness,” Ostow said.
She is organizing a grassroots zine, which will consists of various article and art submissions from club members, to be distributed at Long Lane Farm’s annual Pumpkin Fest in mid-October.
The club’s efforts have already proven successful: its table at the Student Groups Fair had plenty of visitor traffic, and its email list activity and meeting attendances have swelled. The club’s current goal is education, which it plans to accomplish by reaching out to the greater Middletown community.
“We want people to learn about something they wouldn’t have learned about,” Ostow said. “Tap into that, and spread the love, and the knowledge, and the sweetness.”