Update on the Honey Bee Project with Abby Gordon
Our Program on September 22nd was Abby Gordon, junior at MHS and recipient of a small grant from our club for her project.
Last March 5th, she came to talk to us about honey bees, and she wanted to start her own bee hive project to get first-hand experience with bees. President Tim’s board approved a grant of $400.00 for her to continue with her work. She used the funds to buy materials for a hive, and ordered a hive of bees from an Alabama supply house. Her father, a teacher in another district, is friends with a beekeeper, so they went to him for information and guidance. She was able to find a good location for a hive on the grounds of Camp Tanadoona, and proceeded to set up shop.
When the bees arrived by mail from the supplier, there were 7000 bees and one queen bee in a box about the size of a shoebox. She described how they were placed in the new hive and accepted it as their new home, and told of later having that group of bees swarm (fly away as a unit to another home), and how another swarm of bees then took up residence in the hive.
She said that the benefits of her work this summer is that she learned more about bees, has experience taking care of them, and has increased the number of local bees.
Her goal now is to extend the number of hives in the area, and hopes to speak to other groups and get them to sponsor and care for one or more hives. By the way, she is leaving on another project in the Bahamas in March.