Chapel Hill Bees

Catherine, a 2008 Carolina grad, showed a few of us around her beekeeping operation a few weekends ago. It was a blast, and I learned all about sustainable beekeeping (which is what Chapel Hill Bees is all about). It was nasty, pre-tornado-y weather, so the bees were not happy and wouldn't let us chill with them in their custom designed and built hives, but we did get to check out a hive that Catherine keeps with plexiglass on the side so that the bees can be observed in action without being disturbed. COOL. If someone has ever told you that bees are industrious, hard-workin' little things, they were not lying.

We went inside and checked out some cool beekeeping gear, including a bee suit made especially for warm climates that Diana later refused to take off. To her credit, it did fit like a dream. The weave of the fabric doesn't allow the stinger to attach to the elastic human skin. She also showed us a beautiful smoker that was passed down to her.

About sustainable beekeeping - since Catherine's main objective in keeping bees is not honey production, she is able to use practices that are more sustainable and healthy for the bees. For instance, she doesn't need to give the bees very much sugar syrup to supplement their diets since she is not taking their honey away from them. Also, this is the last year that she wil be getting bees delivered in the spring to start hives. In the future, she will simply be able to split big hives to create two smaller ones. Catherine doesn't harvest beeswax either, so she the bees are able to use their comb for much longer. Catherine also uses plain frames in her hives so the bees can build their own comb, which makes them happier. There are a ton more ways that Chapel Hill Bees is a role model for sustainable beekeeping, but I can't remember them all! She also told us some really neat things about varroa and experimental techniques she is using to keep them off her bees. I'll have to go back sometime to ask more questions.

Also, on a related side note, every time you walk through the Coker Arboretum and you see/hear/smell/touch a bee, it may be(e) one of Catherine's! They can travel far for the goods, and we all know the goods are in the Arb.