Ask Annie!

By Annie Peace on February 19, 2015

Q: I heard all of our bees died.  Is that true?

Sadly yes, that is true. We had three hives of bees this last year which produced 270 pounds of wonderful honey. Mike Davis and I met with Gary LaGrange who is in charge of the bees. Mr. LaGrange leads a program working with wounded soldiers to teach them beekeeping and farming. We discussed what happened to the bees. We learned that they somehow encountered pesticides. The pesticides were not sprayed by our staff or contractors. He is working with KSU to learn what pesticides they utilize to see if that is what occurred. I will be getting some more information from Mr. LaGrange for all of us to learn some bee friendly tips for the spring. Great news is we will have more bees. He has ordered us three nucleases of bees to restart the hives, and they will arrive the first part of May. He believes that due to the work the previous bees have done in the hives to build wax, the new bees will be able to create honey more quickly and perhaps a larger quantity. I hope you have had a chance to enjoy some of the Meadowlark Hills honey before it sold out; I am hopeful that there is more to come. I am enjoying learning about the bees and the program that Mr. LaGrange is leading. He has agreed to come give a presentation about his work, so we will get that scheduled. He also leads the Konza Beekeepers Club and he told me they now have around 200 members. Thank you for another great question, please keep them coming.