BU beekeeping project sees ‘wonderful harvest’
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/10/2022 (1224 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Brandon University’s new urban beekeeping project has netted the school a sweet result as its inaugural season comes to a close, with officials revealing they have collected 117 kilograms of honey.
“This is a wonderful harvest, we’re so thrilled,” Bee U project co-ordinator Deana Smid said in a Thursday news release. “After skimming off the wax and comb, then straining the honey and packaging it for distribution, the net weight is a little less, but the most important thing is: it’s delicious!”
The initiative took place throughout the summer months, with two beehives being mounted on the rooftop of the university’s cafeteria, Harvest Hall.
A closer look at some of the honey that was harvested during the first year of Brandon University's Bee U project. (Submitted)
Outside of helping to enhance the campus’ biodiversity, some of the harvested honey from the hives will be donated to BU food services.
Smid also said that some of the honey samples her team collected are being set aside for pollen testing, so that they know what types of flowers local bees prefer when they are foraging.
“There are so many wildflower gardens in the city that come through in the flavourfulness of the honey,” she said. “It also appears that at least some of the bees flew right out of the city and got into some canola fields.”
While Bee U received a lot of community support from the outset, some residents were vocal in their opposition to the project.
During the approval process that took place in front of City of Brandon planning commission, Barb Strutt said she was deeply concerned about the new colony being set up in a dense residential area, fearing that nearby children with bee allergies are being put in harm’s way.
While Strutt’s concerns did delay the approval process by a couple months, the city ultimately green lit the project in early June.
Moving forward, Smid hopes her Bee U team can get an earlier start next year, which would give them the opportunity to produce an even larger honey haul.
But for right now, Smid is just happy that Bee U’s first year was a success, since it shows that an urban beekeeping project is possible within the Wheat City.
“We know that we want to support food security here in Brandon, because any kind of local food production from gardening to beekeeping can help, and so we want to share the honey with our community,” she said.
“We also know that we want to share the knowledge that we’re gaining, whether that’s through hands-on beekeeping or research opportunities with the bees and hives.”
The first public tasting of the Bee U honey will take place Saturday afternoon, from 1 to 3 p.m., during a bannock and tea event at the campus’ central Kavanagh Courtyard. The event is a part of the ongoing BU Homecoming festivities and is open to the public.
» The Brandon Sun