{"id":19539,"date":"2017-05-03T13:45:50","date_gmt":"2017-05-03T17:45:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/?p=19539"},"modified":"2021-05-21T12:36:02","modified_gmt":"2021-05-21T16:36:02","slug":"campus-bee-buzz-north-carolina-state-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/campus-bee-buzz-north-carolina-state-university\/","title":{"rendered":"Campus Bee Buzz: New Community Apiary at North Carolina State University"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Did you know that the U.S. celebrates <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nationalhoneybeeday.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">National Honey Bee Day<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">? The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and 53 countries are also supporting an <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.fao.org\/news\/story\/en\/item\/415259\/icode\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">initiative to celebrate World Bee Day<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on May 20. Why all the fuss about these tiny, albeit hardworking, insects? <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The answer is simple &#8212; there is a critical need to raise public awareness of the key role bees play in pollination and the current threats to their existence, and to encourage farmers and consumers to make \u201cpollinator-friendly\u201d choices.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over the last decade, the population of bees has been declining at alarming rates. In fact, many types of bees will soon be extinct unless action is taken. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">North Carolina State University (NC State) is doing something about this through their<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Outreach to beekeepers; <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Research on improved bee management; and<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instruction on beekeeping. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><b>Bees are essential<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the FAO, there are more than 20,000 species of wild bees that are critical for biodiversity and a healthy ecosystem. But the FAO refers to honey bees as the \u201cmost famous\u201d pollinators, as they are instrumental in pollinating over a third of the world\u2019s fruits and vegetables. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the U.S. alone, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nrdc.org\/sites\/default\/files\/bees.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">over $15 billion in crops<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are pollinated by bees.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19542\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19542\" style=\"width: 167px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-19542\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/image1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"167\" height=\"306\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19542\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">NDRC.org<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Honey bees also, of course, yield honey, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nrdc.org\/sites\/default\/files\/bees.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">about $150 million worth annually<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the U.S. alone. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anyone who\u2019s watched <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Winnie the Pooh<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can immediately envision a pot of \u201chunny,\u201d but very few realize the effort that goes into it. According to the FAO, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of honey takes 4 million flower visits, with a single honey bee visiting about 7,000 flowers a day. That\u2019s certainly arduous work! Let\u2019s keep that in mind the next time we enjoy a spoonful of honey with our tea or oatmeal. <\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19543\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19543\" style=\"width: 249px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-19543\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/image2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"249\" height=\"297\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19543\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">en.wikipedia.org<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2015-09-insects-pollinators.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bees are the best pollinators<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and serve an indispensable function in the world. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After all, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;[a] world without pollinators would be a world without food diversity &#8211; and in the long run, without food security,&#8221;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jos\u00e9 Graziano da Silva, FAO Director-General,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.fao.org\/news\/story\/en\/item\/415259\/icode\/\">said last year<\/a> at Slovenia\u2019s <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">national beekeepers&#8217; festival. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In fact, the FAO considers bees vital to a key <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/sustainable-development-goals-for-students\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sustainable Development Goal<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Without bees, it would be impossible to achieve FAO&#8217;s main goal, a world without hunger,&#8221; said da Silva.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><b>Bees in danger<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unfortunately, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">bees are under constant <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/pollinator-protection\/colony-collapse-disorder\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">threat from many factors<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, including pesticide use, climate change, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">land-use change, pests and diseases.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recent figures included in a <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/03\/20\/world\/bees-eco-solutions\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CNN report<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> show just how dire the situation is. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In just 12 months <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">between April 2015 and April 2016, beekeepers in the U.S. alone lost 44 percent of their colonies. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During that same time, beekeepers in the UK lost almost 17 percent of their colonies. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These are not the only two countries facing a decline. In 2011, the United Nations Environment Programme <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/environment\/nature\/decline-of-honey-bees-now-a-global-phenomenon-says-united-nations-2237541.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">warned of a global decline<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of honey bees, with China, Japan and Egypt joining the rank of countries facing a decline.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hundreds of species of bees in North America and Hawaii are, in fact, facing extinction, according to a recent <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biologicaldiversity.org\/news\/press_releases\/2017\/bees-03-01-2017.php\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">report by the Center for Biological Diversity<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"More Than 700 North American Bee Species Are Headed Toward Extinction | TIME\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Xbr8tIFIw-8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>How can we stave off further bee losses and threats to their very existence? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Suggested <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nrdc.org\/sites\/default\/files\/bees.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">preventative measures<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for policymakers include: (i) offering farmers and landowners incentives to ensure their land is a good environment for bees and other pollinators; (ii) encouraging the practice of Integrated Pest Management, which would minimize the use of pesticides and risk to bees<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">; and (iii) strengthening governmental research programs. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On an individual level too, of course, we can all take steps to help protect bees, such as growing plants that bees like, refraining from using pesticides in our yards and gardens, and buying local honey to support local beekeepers. Better yet, how about becoming a beekeeper!<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><b>NC State &amp; Bee Downtown helping bees<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NC State and Bee Downtown are doing their part to help save bee populations and, by extension, the environment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"New Apiary on NC State\u2019s Centennial Campus\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PvbAt3SQvhY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>NC State is not the only U.S. university offering <a href=\"https:\/\/ncsuapiculture.net\/\">beekeeping courses<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>, but it created a bee buzz recently, and literally, when its Centennial Campus became the home of almost 150,000 honey bees.<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The new community apiary was installed, and will be managed, by <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/beedowntown.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bee Downtown<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a business started by Leigh-Kathryn Bonner in her <\/span>junior year<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at NC State. Bonner is an alumna (BA \u201815), who majored in international studies and double-minored in nonprofit studies and Spanish.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">apiary is Bee Downtown\u2019s first community apiary<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">consists of 7 hives, which can accommodate up to 60,000 bees each, as the population grows in the spring and summer. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/2017\/04\/apiary-centennial\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to NC State News<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the campus is \u201cpollinator-friendly,\u201d so the bees should thrive in their new environment. Justin Maness, Bee Downtown lead beekeeper and NC State alumnus (BA \u201813), who majored in horticultural science and minored in agricultural business management, is hopeful that the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">new apiary \u201cwill create opportunities for tours and other forms of pollinator-related education,\u201d reported NC State News.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The new community apiary is the product of a collaborative effort. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bonner convinced Bandwidth, a campus-based communications technology company, to sponsor the hives. Once a main sponsor was lined up, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the Centennial Campus Partnerships and Industrial Alliances (CCP) stepped in to secure a campus location for the apiary, more corporate sponsors, and sponsorships from within NC State &#8212; <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/soulgarden.weebly.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SOUL Garden<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, an on-campus organic garden established and operated by students, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nonprofit.chass.ncsu.edu\/education\/socent.php\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NC State\u2019s Institute for Nonprofits<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/ei.ncsu.edu\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NC State Entrepreneurship Initiative<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThis project brings together the research, teaching and entrepreneurial strengths of NC State, using Centennial Campus as a proving-ground platform,\u201d CCP Director Leah Burton said in a statement. \u201cWe look forward to the buzz the new apiary will create.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><b>NC State, the source of inspiration<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bee Downtown aims to help restore the dwindling honey bee population, which is of great concern in North Carolina, a state largely dependent on farming. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #003366;\"><strong>TUN spoke with Bonner and Maness to find out what inspired them to take on the project of saving bees. \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both of them took ENT 203, An Introduction to the Honey Bee and Beekeeping, at NC State. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bonner credits their success to Professors <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.newsobserver.com\/news\/local\/counties\/wake-county\/article10226195.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">John Ambrose<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/projects.ncsu.edu\/cals\/entomology\/tarpy\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">David Tarpy<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bonner believes that \u201cso much of the mission and vision of Bee Downtown comes from our time with both of these brilliant men.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ambrose taught the introductory beekeeping course to more than 5,000 students, including Bonner, over 20 years at NC State. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>\u201c<\/b><b>Dr. Ambrose was a huge part of why I started Bee Downtown,\u201d<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> said Bonner. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ambrose was receptive to Bonner\u2019s idea for Bee Downtown and supported her through the various stages while she was a student. He became almost like a grandfather to her, and Bonner hopes to keep his legacy, his passion for bees, alive through Bee Downtown.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maness took the introductory course with Tarpy, who has taught at NC State since 2003 and runs the NC State Bee Lab. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>\u201cDr. Tarpy has been one of our biggest advocates since we got started,\u201d<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> said Bonner. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bonner also received tremendous\u00a0support from campus-wide NC State Entrepreneurship Initiative, which helped her turn Bee Downtown from a \u201cpassion project\u201d into a business by:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Providing her with mentors, classes, equipment and space that she could use to develop her business;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Preparing her for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/ei.ncsu.edu\/egames\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lulu EGames<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the biggest NC State startup competition, which got her the prize money she needed for initial funding; and<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Awarding her a fellowship after she graduated, so she had a stipend and continued access to mentorship from \u201csome of NC State&#8217;s most brilliant minds like Raj Narayan and Tom Miller.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bonner\u2019s family has a long history with NC State &#8212; her grandfather, mother and all her brothers attended the university and benefited from its rich agriculture programs, while her uncle Jerry Flanagan, a renowned beekeeper, was also Ambrose\u2019s student &#8212; so it is an honor for her to be involved in the new apiary. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is indeed \u201ca dream come true\u201d for Bonner. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><b>\u201cNC State and agriculture are the core makeup of my family, so to bring agriculture to Centennial Campus to honor the foundation this wonderful university was built upon, and also my family&#8217;s history at the university, is a dream come true. I&#8217;m honestly a bit at a loss for words. Every time I see that apiary, I will see the 5,000 students Dr. Ambrose taught that now know about honey bees, the brilliant Bee Lab Dr. Tarpy is running, the embodiment of \u2018Think and Do\u2019, and a university that cares more for their students than any other college in the country. NC State is a special place and I am proud to be a part of the Wolfpack.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Glowing words indeed for NC State! <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maness also places credit where it is due &#8212; NC State\u2019s remarkable program and supportive environment. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><b>NC State was where my passion for the environment and honey bees began. I was surrounded by amazing professors and students in my program who radiated knowledge about all aspects of horticulture. When I graduated I was determined to make a positive impact on the local community and environment.<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maness hopes that the new apiary will serve to educate others. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI hope that with this new NC State community apiary we bring more attention to the importance of our pollinators and provide a fun and immersive experience with an insect that offers so much for agriculture and our way of life,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Did you know that the U.S. celebrates National Honey Bee Day? The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and 53 countries are also supporting an initiative to celebrate World Bee Day on May 20. Why all the fuss about these tiny, albeit hardworking, insects? The answer is simple &#8212; there is a critical need [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":19519,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[231,230,229],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-news","category-news","category-lead-stories"],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/bees2.jpeg",830,533,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/bees2-224x144.jpeg",224,144,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/bees2-300x193.jpeg",300,193,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/bees2.jpeg",830,533,false],"large":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/bees2.jpeg",830,533,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/bees2.jpeg",830,533,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/bees2.jpeg",830,533,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Susan Chu","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/author\/susan-chu\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Did you know that the U.S. celebrates National Honey Bee Day? The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and 53 countries are also supporting an initiative to celebrate World Bee Day on May 20. Why all the fuss about these tiny, albeit hardworking, insects? The answer is simple &#8212; there is a critical need&hellip;","featured_media_src_url":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/bees2.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19539"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19539\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}