The Beekeeping club resumed last year with the goal of nurturing the beehive, as well as promoting the importance of bees in the natural world.

After a five year hiatus, the Queen Bee reclaimed her territory following a colony collapse caused by a pesticide spray near Lake Bde Maka Ska. The Queen Bee is the leader of the colony and essential to a successful hive. With her presence, all bees will report back to the hive from excursions to locate nectar. The hive is located right behind the science wing, and remained there over the summer. It is comprised of three frames that contain the hive and honey headquarters, and club members must wear full protective suits and gloves in order to visit.

The club focuses on the fundamentals of beekeeping, colony dynamics, and educating the Blake community about bees and the preservation of healthy hives. Leader Niharika Bhavsar ‘20 shared, “In the past year, we’ve just been educating our community on the importance of bees and the role that they play in our daily lives, too, and in our ecosystem.”

Bee populations are diminishing worldwide due to the increased use of pesticides. However, bees are important because they pollinate an estimated one third of food humans consume, according to the BBC.  

But, bees are often only thought of as a threat of a sting, leading to negative stigma and a lack of appreciation for their importance in the environment. Bhasvar said, “Part of our goal is not to completely eliminate but take away the negative stigma towards bees.”

Instead of being afraid of bees, the club strives to remind the community that their fear should be of a world without bees.