Maine beekeepers helping newcomers start local hives

PORTLAND, Maine (WMTW) – It has been a busy begin to spring for the beekeepers at The Honey Change in Portland.

Earlier this week, they retrieved about 4 million bees from Georgia and transported them again to Maine.

Meghan Gaven is among the retailer’s homeowners and has been beekeeping for 14 years. She stated curiosity in beekeeping noticed noticeable development through the COVID-19 pandemic, and regardless of some misconceptions, managing a colony doesn’t require a big yard.

“When you have an condo with some area on the roof, you can completely preserve bees there,” Gaven stated.

The bees introduced again from Georgia are being distributed to their clients, native beekeepers who’re beginning their very own colonies round Maine.

Bees are essential for Maine’s ecosystem. Their function in pollinating crops is required to develop crops like blueberries.

Internationally, bee populations have been declining lately.

In response to a examine from the College of Maine, the state’s bee inhabitants has decreased by greater than 40% because the Eighties.

Gaven stated whereas people in Maine can not clear up the issue of declining bee populations, accountable beekeeping has optimistic impacts on native plants and ecosystems.

“The extra beekeepers the higher, ” she stated. “It actually is an excellent alternative to have an effect that possibly you don’t see straight by you recognize is going on.”

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