The Edmonds College Community Farm received a swarm of new residents a few weeks ago. Two packages containing over 26,000 bees were placed into two existing hives in the school’s bee garden. Onlookers watched in awe as Mary Whitfield, Bee Club President Emily Hall, and Bee Hive Manager Hannah Woods, adorned their apiary suits and veils. 

In 2011, Mary Whitfield, with the assistance of her lab manager Caroline Mann, began their shared passion project of keeping bees on campus. Beginning with seed money provided by a college foundation grant, and working hard for over two years, Bee Club officially formed. Whitfield explained that one of the main goals behind the creation of Bee Club was building the college community.

“I just thought this would be a cool thing to do at the College,” Whitfield explained, “It is a great opportunity for student engagement.” Not only does Bee Club provide a space for students to gather and engage, it also provides learning and partnership opportunities with other clubs and organizations on campus. 

This year’s installment began with rapid speed and precision. First, in order to ensure the queen bee’s safety the team began by removing and securing the two queen bee cages into the Langstroth hives. The queen must remain separate from the worker bees for a while to ensure her safety. To do this a mini marshmallow is squished into the opening of the cage, this allows the queen to stay safe as the worker bees slowly eat away at the marshmallow to free her. While they work to free her, the worker bees begin to recognize her pheromone smell and acknowledge her as the queen of the hive. 

Once the queen’s cage was secure in the hive, the team began shaking the packages above the hive, causing the remaining bees to rain out. The soft sound of buzzing spread through the air, which caused immense joy to radiate from everyone’s faces.

This was a momentous occasion for the Bee Club, since it has been many months since they last had a hive. Last fall, due to the constant threat and attack of carnivorous yellow jackets, the hives became extremely weak and dissipated completely. Spirits and anticipation are high, as club members continue to care for these Italian bees. President Emily Hall explained “I love the bees, they are just so fascinating… There is something about them that draws you in.” Working day in and day out, the campus bees work to pollinate the farm crops, campus flowers, and store their delicious honey.

Each fall Bee Club members look forward to harvesting the over 90 pounds of wildflower honey the hives produce. Since this year’s bees are new to campus, the Bee Club is constantly checking in to monitor the hive’s health and overall growth. The hope is for each hive to increase in population by 361.5%, that’s 60,000 bees! 

Members of Bee Club are able to experience many fun club activities year round. Working together with their fuzzy little friends, members are able to experience first hand the benefits and outcomes of beekeeping. In the fall, members participate in each step of processing the honey; from spinning, to bottling, to selling, to eating. Not only is the bee’s honey used, but so is the wax. Bee Club works in tandem with the school’s Culinary Arts department to use the campus kitchen to melt the wax down to create candles, soaps, lotion bars, chapstick, and beeswax wrap. 

The bees may be small, but they sure do get the campus buzzing. Many groups around campus benefit from their presence. Chemistry and Biology classes, for instance work in the bee garden, researching and exploring the types of flower pollen harvested by the bees. Next time you walk through campus, take a moment to look at the flower beds and maybe if you are lucky, you will see one of our furry little friends in action. 

Currently the Bee Club is looking for club officers. Potential Officer Duties include: 

• Assist with planning and running club meetings.
• Assist with tabling events and creating tabling material.
• Assist with hive inspections and general maintenance of the honeybee hives.
• Assist with planning other club events (like soap making, candle making, etc.) and running the events.
• Assist with creating “swag items” for the club and for tabling events.
• Assist with social media and other outreach efforts.
• General assistance of the club president and beehive manager.

If you are interested in either becoming a Bee Club member or a club officer, or if you would like more information on upcoming events and bee related news, fly on over to the Bee Club website Bee Club (google.com).

Gallery • 4 Photos

Jason Leung

Attendees watch as Bee Club President Emily Hall prepares for the new bee installation.

Did you know: 

Did you know that bees like to dance? It’s true! In order to communicate and share information on where local food is or if there is a threat to the hive, bees dance the “waggle”. 

Have you ever considered why honeycomb cells are hexagonal? That is because bees are great mathematicians. Bees want to best utilize the space they have in their hive. To keep their nectar safe and secure the bees construct six-sided cells made of wax. The tightly packed hexagonal cells allow more nectar to be stored in their tiny homes, while leaving no unused space.

No expiration date? The oldest honey ever found is estimated to be around 5,500 years old. This honey was discovered in 2003 in west Iblisi, Georgia. Since honey is naturally antibacterial, it has no expiration date!

Honey and Allergies? Some studies have shown that if a person with allergies eats local honey regularly, their allergy symptoms may be reduced. 

Hives are organized by three main jobs: 

1. Queen Bee- lays eggs
2. Worker bees- responsible for: gathering nectar, guarding the hive and honey, caring for the queen and larvae, keeping the hive clean, and producing honey
3. Drones- mate with the queen bee

Honey Recipes: 

Since college students are constantly on the go, having quick, easy, and healthy snack ideas is a must. Try one of these highlighted honey snacks this week. 

Foods to top with Honey: 

• Biscuits 
• Cornbread 
• Fruit 
• Oatmeal
• Pancakes
• Popcorn
• Smoothies 
• Yogurt 

Honey Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls: Perfect for energy on the go!

Makes: 2 dozen, 100 calories each 

Prep Time: 15 minutes 

Ingredients: 

• 1 ¾ cup Old fashioned oats (uncooked) 
• ¾ cup Peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
• ⅓ cup Honey 
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract 
• ⅓ Semi-Sweet chocolate chips 
• Optional add-ins: flax seed, chia seeds 

Directions: 

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, stir until well combined. 
2. Once combined, the dough will be sticky. Place the bowl either in the refrigerator for an hour or in the freezer for 20 minutes, to firm. 
3. Once slightly firm, use a spoon to scoop dough, and form into 24 balls (1 tablespoon each). Place oat balls in a single layer on either a plate or cookie sheet, refrigerate for 1 hour or freeze for 20 minutes again; this will help oat balls to retain their shape in storage.
4. Store honey peanut butter oatmeal balls in a ziploc bag or airtight container. Lasts up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator, or 3 months in the freezer. 

Honey-glazed Trail Mix 

Makes: 10 cups 

Prep Time: 20 minutes 

Ingredients: 

• 6 cups Chex cereal (any type)
• 5 cups pretzels 
• 1 ¼ cup nuts (any type)
• ½ cup butter 
• ½ cup honey 
• Feel free to add any other ingredients you have in your cupboard to your mix (cheerios, goldfish crackers, etc). 

Directions: 

1. In a big bowl, combine everything except the butter and honey.
2. In a small saucepan, melt butter. Add honey and stir until smooth. 
3. Pour honey, butter mixture over cereal mixture, mix until well coated. 
4. Pour mixture onto a lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes at 325°, stirring every 5 minutes. 
5. Let cool and enjoy. Can be stored in an airtight container or Ziplock bag. 

Refreshing Honey Citrus Iced Tea

Makes: 8 servings 

Prep Time: 15 minutes 

Ingredients: 

• 4 tea bags 
• 2 cups boiling water 
• 3 oranges 
• 2 lemons 
• 2 cups orange juice  
• ½ cup lemonade 
• 3 Tablespoons honey
• 1 liter ginger ale 
• Ice cubes 

Directions: 

1. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a teapot. Add tea. Cover and let steep for 3 minutes. Carefully remove and discard teabags. 
2. Pour tea into a pitcher. 
3. Peel and cut oranges and 1 lemon; add to tea. Mix in orange juice, lemonade, and honey. 
4. In a separate bowl cut up the remaining fruit into slices, and freeze overnight. 
5. Cover and let sit in the refrigerator overnight. 
6. Before serving, remove and discard the fruit that sat in the tea overnight. Add ginger ale, frozen fruit slices, and ice cubes. Enjoy!