Bees are all the buzz

A meeting room at Everything Natural was buzzing as approximately one dozen folks with a sweet common thread met to learn more about Lackawanna Backyard Beekeepers, a local group organized by Ellen Kiballa McGlynn of Waverly and Jim Davis of Clarks Green.

Among the crowd was a gardener with a large plot of land willing to lend some space on her property for some hives, people with beekeeping experience and “wannabe” apiarists looking to get started in beekeeping.

McGlynn and Davis hope to provide opportunities for discussion and camaraderie among beekeepers and “friends of the honeybee” closer to home in the Abingtons. Currently, the closest organized beekeeping groups are located in Susquehanna and Wayne Counties.

“A beekeeping group is always a great place to begin, and we were happy to be available to them,” said McGlynn. “Most people stated that their reasons for wanting to attend our meetings were to learn how to set up a hive and gain knowledge.”

Nezka Pfeiffer, curator at the Everhart Museum, was also on hand to talk about upcoming bee-related exhibitions and events this year at the museum. “BEEyond,” an exhibit that will run May 4 through September 3 in the Maslow Galleries will feature “the majesty of the honeybee through the lens of photographer” Rose-Lynn Fisher. Her book, “BEE,” was the third-place winner in the International Photography Awards and was recently featured on NPR. Fisher’s images will be supplemented by art, artifacts, beekeeping objects and natural science to help urther illustrate the role of the honey bee in science, culture and art.

McGlynn and Davis, who took up the hobby of beekeeping with just one hive, respectively, have witnessed an increased interest in beekeeping as a way for “individuals to take control of the situation and make a positive contribution to the world around them.” Both subscribe to a more sustainable way of beekeeping without the use of antibiotics or chemicals,” said McGlynn.

One such situation is Colony Collapse Disorder CCD, a phenomenon in which worker bees from a beehive or European honey bee colony abruptly disappear… The term was first applied to a drastic rise in the number of disappearances of Western honey bee colonies in North America in late 2006.

CCD is significant because many agricultural crops worldwide are pollinated by bees. The Pennsylvania Backyard Beekeepers Association (PBBA) notes that “honey bees directly or indirectly help produce up to 80% of our food supply by pollination, seed production, etc.” and provide the “best ‘green’ sweetener on earth.”

An interest in beekeeping, interest in being able to find local bee products and a general concern for the plight of the honeybee in Lackawanna County is very high, according to McGlynn and Davis. “So it was just natural instinct that a group with all these common interests should be able to come together and talk about it,” he said.

“Just starting your first hive can be a daunting task and I am glad that Lackawanna Backyard Beekeepers is able to provide a platform to share information and help address questions and concerns, no matter the level of experience. In the future, I hope the club will grow in size and become a familiar face in the community,” Davis said.

The next meeting of the Lackawanna Backyard Beekeepers will be held on Thursday, Feb. 9, at 6 p.m. at Everything Natural, 426 S. State St., Clarks Summit. The group’s March meeting will coincide with the Second Friday Art Walk at Everything Natural with a showing of the film "Queen of the Sun."

Lackawanna Backyard Beekeepers meetings are open to the public and require no membership fee. The April meeting will be held at McGlynn’s house in Waverly on Thursday, April 26 at 6 p.m. at which time bees will be available for pick up. Attendees will have an opportunity to learn how to install the package of bees.