Henderson County beekeepers group launches annual school

HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (AP) When it comes to Henderson County's $38.5 million fruit and vegetable economy, local extension agents say you can largely thank a winged insect from Europe.

Western honeybees, introduced to America by settlers in 1622, are responsible for pollinating about $15 billion worth of crops nationwide, said Cooperative Extension Director Marvin Owings Jr.

"They're extremely important to our apple growers, particularly our fresh fruit growers anyone growing small fruits such as blackberries and vegetable farmers," he said. "One out of every three mouthfuls of food you eat every day is thanks to a honeybee."

But honeybee populations have been in severe decline for more than a decade, apiarists say, thanks to a combination of pesticide use, loss of foraging habitat, climate change, parasites, viruses and predatory insects.

"Billions of dollars have been spent on pest control without the consideration of consequences on the honeybees and other useful pollinators," said David Stallings, vice president of the Henderson County Beekeepers Association.

Part of the problem, Stallings says, is that most of the estimated 2 million honeybee colonies left in the U.S. are part of a commercial pollination industry that trucks hives all across the country, spreading crippling diseases and parasites.

So just as agricultural groups have begun promoting locally grown foods, the Henderson County Beekeepers are pushing homegrown bees. Hobbyists can help meet local pollination needs with bee colonies acclimated to this area, they say, using fewer chemical drugs than large commercial apiaries need.

The association recently kicked off its annual six-week Beekeeping School at Mountain Horticultural Crops Research station in Mills River to help foster a new generation of apiarists trained to provide the pollinators, honey and beeswax of the future.

Co-sponsored by the local Extension Service office, the school meets every Monday from 7-9 p.m. through March 2. Topics covered include the biology and life cycle of honeybees; getting started with small, nucleus hives; swarm control methods; nectar plants; hive products; and dealing with brood diseases, parasites and nest scavengers.

Once the school is over, association leaders say their group continues to provide support and guidance to newbie beekeepers, a necessity in today's complex apiary environment. Weather permitting, the group holds workshops at Historic Johnson Farm on Saturday mornings.

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Henderson County beekeepers group launches annual school