September 17, 2009

As long as she leaves the hives closed, the bees that Amber Townsend keeps are too busy to bother her.

by Emily Matras '12

There is a new swarm of activity in a corner of the Davidson College campus, far from the bustle of students. Countless bees are busy making honey in two hives recently established on a small patch of grass next to the biology department greenhouse. Amber Townsend '10 is their watchful caretaker.

Townsend, a biology major, received grants from the Millner Fund and the Biology Department to purchase the hives last May for an independent study project. After taking three lab courses last spring, she was ready to try something different, and beekeeping seemed like an opportunity for unconventional hands-on experience.

Her foray into beekeeping was sparked by an interest in sustainable agriculture. Townsend studied abroad in New Zealand last fall, and she spent an additional month there "WWOOF"ing, or Willingly Working On Organic Farms, before returning to the U.S.

After weeks of planting trees, weeding and even herding sheep in New Zealand, Townsend returned with her mind set on implementing a project that explored sustainability. She knew that agriculture in the U.S. is very dependent on honeybees' pollination of plants. She explained, "We'd be in quite the produce predicament without them!"

Townsend continued, "A lot of people think that the only productive thing bees do is make honey.  But on big farms, hundreds of beehives are used to pollinate the crops. Our food supply would be lessened by about a third without bee services."

Bees at work.

Townsend's bee study is two-fold. First, she wants to explore the culture and history of beekeeping and learn what it takes to keep bees healthy and happy. To do that, Townsend periodically dons a bee suit to check on the hives, inspecting for hive beetles and mites and surveying the general welfare of the bees. She also inspects the eggs and larvae for signs of the queen. Her observations have been enhanced through the mentoring of physical plant worker John Wilkinson, a longtime beekeeper. "With the help of various kind and enthusiastic local beekeepers such as John, I've been gradually learning more and more," she said.

Townsend's other main interest is scholarly research on Colony Collapse Disorder, a somewhat mysterious cause of bee death nationwide. "If the bees are in trouble, so are we," said Townsend. "I want to spend time investigating the root of the problem."

Townsend also hopes to cultivate a general interest in beekeeping on campus. "Hopefully I can spark a bit of interest," she said. "Next year, another student or group of students will have to take over the hives. "

Zoe Balaconis '11 might be interested in the job. Balaconis said, "On a hot Sunday afternoon, Amber and I smothered ourselves in the too-big bee suits, attempted to calm the bees by smoking them, and then delved into the stacked levels of both hives to see the progress of their combs. I have a lot more to learn, clearly, but after taking off the veil of my bee suit and tasting some of the honey we scraped off the hive, I knew I'd be back."

Suited up to open the hive and check the health and productivity of the colony are (l-r) Amber Townsend, John Wilkinson and Professor of Biology Mark Stanback.

The project has also attracted the interest of two biology professors. Mark Stanback and Mark Barsoum have both assigned members of their classes to observe the bees' foraging behaviors for their first lab of the semester.

Though there is already honey in the hives, it is only enough to sustain the bees through the winter. They should begin to produce an excess in June, and Townsend definitely wants a jar!

But the prospect of a delicious jar of honey isn't the main thing keeping Townsend engaged in her study. "There's something about opening the hives and being surrounded by a swarm of buzzing bees," said Townsend. "It calms me, but that might just be because you have to make yourself stay calm in a situation like that."

Davidson is a highly selective independent liberal arts college for 1,800 students located 20 minutes north of Charlotte in Davidson, N.C. Since its establishment in 1837 by Presbyterians, the college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently regarded as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country. Through The Davidson Trust, the college became the first liberal arts institution in the nation to replace loans with grants in all financial aid packages, giving all students the opportunity to graduate debt-free. Davidson competes in NCAA athletics at the Division I level, and a longstanding Honor Code is central to student life at the college.
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