Our January members meeting guest speaker was Bob Swartz. Bob is a local beekeeper and a member of the Nansemond Beekeepers Association.
Bob grew up on a farm in the mid-west. In 1949, with the guidance of his mother, he managed to capture his first swarm of honey bees. Like his orchard man grandfather before him, he realized the honey bee was a fascinating and essential part of agriculture. Because so many people are unaware of the fact that honey bees are responsible for over a third of our food supply through pollination, he has endeavored to spread the word.
Bob’s talk covered the current state of bees in the United States and why we need pollinators. He described the continuing decline in honey bee populations and their addition to the endangered list. The importation of bees into the US and the use of pesticides are believed to play significant roles in the phenomena know as colony collapse. Some studies have indicated that with the current trend in pesticide use that U.S. produce may no longer be available in grocery stores by the year 2025. Working on solutions to the problem is difficult due to the lack of knowledge and general awareness of the decline in pollinators, particularly the honey bee. Additionally, regulations on the use of pesticides vary from state to state making it difficult to create an organized approach to deal with the problem.
When asked what we could do, Bob answered by saying, we could start by being careful if we have to use pesticides, make more areas available to pollinators in our yards and gardens and do not spray swarms should one appear in your yard or house. The sooner the swarm is removed the easier it is to relocate. The Nansemond Beekeepers Association will relocate swarms if you contact them at 757-320-7789. If it is a simple removal, there is usually no charge for the service.