New Workers on Campus

I recently received this message from the Seattle area and thought it was a great message to share with you.

Hello campus-

I'd like to let you know about some new "workers" on campus. They've just arrived from California and they'll be working hard in our campus gardens.

They are our new honeybees! 

Yes, it's true, Edmonds Community College now has two colonies of honeybees. They are located in the garden area northeast of Meadowdale, adjacent to the golf course. Soon you may notice the little critters flying around and pollinating our plants. If you see a swarm (a big ball of bees - very cool!), don't panic, they're not dangerous, and most important, don't spray with pesticides. Just call security. They'll know who to call. With luck, in the fall, we'll have honey for sale.

If you want to know more about honeybees in general, here are two upcoming events:

1. On May 18th, Tracey Miller will be showing the NOVA documentary Tales From the Hive in her biology class. The film will show in Brier 185 at 11:30, and there is room for about 25 additional people in the room. This film is a great introduction to bees and has great footage!

2. This summer, Continuing Ed will be running a training class for anyone who is considering becoming a beekeeper or who just wants to know more about bees. Here are the details about that class. Watch the ArtsNow/ULearn website for registration information once it becomes available. http://www.edcc.edu/artsnow/

Beekeeping 101 C306—What, when, and
how to become a successful backyard beekeeper.
Apprentice state Beekeepers Association course, with
hive-side hands on experience. Thompson/Wolcott |
$125 - 5 Tues., July 12-Aug. 16, except July 26,
6:30-8:30 p.m. | WWY 105 u

I hope you are all as excited as I am about our new bees. Between now and the end of the year I'll be periodically sending out e-mails with "bee-facts" so that we as a campus can be educated about our new guests. I'll keep them short and I hope you don't consider them spam. If you have questions you want answered, send them to me and I'll try to work them into the emails.

Mary



Thanks Mary for taking care of our California bees. We love you for that! Learn more about ECC's Horticulture program. If you're in the area, stop by for a visit.

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