What’s the buzz about beekeeping?
Written for The Aquinian
(*artwork: Superorganism by Incé Husain)
For beekeeper Andrew Byers, spending time with honeybees is a tranquil and enjoyable experience.
He reminisces on the warm, quiet days when he could visit the apiary and simply “enjoy the bees”, reflecting on their expressive buzzing.
“The bees themselves communicate back to you,” says Byers, explaining that the tone of the buzzing shifts as the bees communicate. “Once you get to the point where you understand that, (handling them) is not a one-way process.”
A single bee is unimpressive, but as a colony, it is a “super organism” that acts as one and makes “amazing decisions”.
“If you’re in a rush and you’re just trying to get a job done … and you aren’t careful and you’re absent minded, the bees will very quickly let you know. They will sting you and it’s not their fault. It’s because you’re being careless and inattentive,” said Byers. “When you go (into the apiary), you need to leave everything else behind and just enjoy it.”
With a background in environmental biology, Byers’ interest in beekeeping was sparked when he was researching the impacts of environmental contaminants on mammal populations.
He noticed that the decline in honeybee populations mimicked the trend observed in other species, and understood that they too were affected by environmental contaminants. He began looking into honeybees further, embarking on beekeeping courses offered by the local bee club.
“I readily took up that opportunity (to do hands on beekeeping) and started down the road of beekeeping. And kind of never looked back.”
Byers describes beekeeping as a seasonal endeavour rich with learning and community. He says the beekeeping craft is an “endless lifelong learning process” with beekeepers united by the shared experience.
“As a beekeeper, everytime you open a hive you learn something. Every time you talk to another beekeeper you learn something,” says Byers. “It’s the shared experience… the more you learn about bees the more you realize how little you understand bees.”
In autumn, beekeepers ensure that their honeybees are healthy and well fed. Winter is a “time off” when honeybees are put to bed; beekeeping workshops, meetings, and equipment preparations surge. In spring, beekeeping activities span blueberry pollination, honey harvest, or crafting other beautiful goods. Summer commences in a burst of dandelions - the first strong forage crop for honeybees.
“We think about the seasons,” Byers summarizes, and adds that a new challenge for beekeepers has been to adapt to the Earth’s warming climates, which harm honeybees.
Byers describes the beekeeping community in New Brunswick as small and close-knit, where “everyone gets to know each other very well.”
Regional beekeeper clubs offer support and opportunities for beekeepers, and the NB Beekeepers Association serves as the mouthpiece for beekeepers during communications with the government.
“There’s a familiarity with beekeeping (in NB)”, says Byers. “NB has a long tradition of beekeeping.”
Byers emphasizes that the need for pollination units in New Brunswick has skyrocketed. Currently harbouring around 15 000 hives, he says demand could increase to 80 000 in a mere decade, opening up huge career opportunities for beekeeping. Byers adds that beekeeping is the easiest way to enter the agriculture industry because it is relatively low cost.
“Almost anyone can get a hive, get some honeybees, and start providing food and honey for their community,” says Byers.
Beekeeping hobbyists are also on the rise. Byers says that the majority of beekeepers in NB are hobbyists who maintain a couple of colonies to enhance their backyard gardens, develop organic food, or simply explore their fascination with bees.
“There’s a general heightened awareness of bees, and that spotlight has been placed on honeybees,” says Byers. “We’re just kind of moving in that direction generally as a society.”
Conscious of the growing buzz around beekeeping, the University of New Brunswick reached out to Byers about giving a day-long beekeeping course. The first course offering was on November 5th to a capped course of 25 students. The next will be in March 2023.
“We taste honey, we build hives,” says Byers. “It’s a time to relax and talk with a bunch of like minded people about a common interest.”
He emphasizes that the course was devoid of bees and protective gear. The goal was not to train beekeepers, but guide those who are contemplating beekeeping to an informed decision.
“It’s fun for me,” says Byers. “(Beekeeping) is an important decision. If I can help people make that decision, that ticks the box for me.” ♦
A modified version of this article appeared in The Aquinian on November 23rd, 2022: