University of Findlay becomes Bee Campus USA Affiliate

The University of Findlay has officially become an affiliate of the Bee Campus USA program.

The university is among other campuses across the country transforming their landscapes into an oasis for bees, butterflies, and crucial pollinators.

Findlay’s beekeeping club, The Hive, became an official student organization after university students D’alan Seyer and Jillella Weingart donated two honey bee hives turning their personal passion for beekeeping to a campus-wide initiative. Since last spring, The Hive has amassed 70 members, three bee hives, and in December, secured the Bee Campus USA national designation.

Lauren Sandhu, instructor in biology at the university and faculty advisor for The Hive, said the pollinator habitat areas will be established throughout campus to benefit the bees and other native species such as monarch butterflies. The student organization will also organize public outreach events, offering educational opportunities for the university and the public. Members will have the opportunity to learn about native pollinators, create pollinator-friendly landscaping, harvest honey, and try beekeeping for themselves.

The Bee Campus USA Affiliate grants The Hive access to national pollinator conservation experts, educational and training opportunities, and the ability to apply for grant funding to facilitate pollinator research and beekeeping equipment. Launched by Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, the Bee City USA Initiative aims to encourage communities and campuses to support pollinators by reducing pesticides and supporting a healthy habitat by planting a diverse range of native plants.

The Hive began when UF students Seyer and Weingart approached Sandhu with the idea of starting up the club by donating two of their own personal hives. After receiving approval from the university and complying with city regulations, the students petitioned for The Hive to receive official recognition.

“They had kept bees at their personal residence and it was always something they were really interested in. One day after class, they approached me and asked if it would be possible to maybe start up a beekeeping club on campus and that they wanted to donate some hives to the university to get it started because they just love the university which was really, really neat,” said Sandhu. “We were able to get the hive certified as an official campus organization in April of last year and we brought the hives to campus on Earth Day of last year so that was perfect.” said Sandhu.

Expecting around 20 interested students to apply, Sandhu was shocked when 70 students joined the organization.

“We were hoping that we'd get maybe around 20 students, so the response, I mean, we were just so excited,” said Sandhu. “Not only was it a student-led initiative, but there's genuine student interest and they're really genuinely concerned about pollinator decline, habitat loss and those types of issues.”

Sandhu said the club has welcomed students from all backgrounds including animal science or biology majors, education majors, and even those who wish to face their fear of bees head-on in a safe environment.

Focusing on education and outreach, The Hive has established pollinator gardens throughout campus. These gardens demonstrate to individuals how they too can create pollinator-friendly environments, whether it be a small potted plant or a large garden space in their backyard.

“It's really a chance for people to come to campus to see the hives and get students suited up so that they can work with the bees but then also showing people this is what a pollinator garden could look like,” said Sandhu. “Most of the people that I've talked to, they really do care about pollinators and they want to help boost their numbers, but they just don't know how to get started. I think there's a sense of feeling overwhelmed like am I supposed to convert my whole yard to a pollinator garden? Or there's the misconception that pollinator habitats look messy, those types of things. Trying to show that you can start with just one potted plant or you can make a pollinator garden that takes up half your yard if you want to. You can have it be as natural or as manicured as you want. By having a couple different examples of how these pollinator gardens can look on campus and then bringing the public in to see those for themselves, that's going to be a really great educational tool.”

Upcoming events for The Hive include a student meeting in March constructing native bee houses and in April an event featuring keynote speakers and a native plant sale encouraging members to build their own pollinator habitats.

Securing the Bee Campus USA designation, The Hive hopes to achieve an even bigger goal of recognizing Findlay as a Bee City USA affiliate. This process would entail collaborating with city officials, the mayor, and other local organizations to install pollinator friendly habitats throughout the city.

“When you're talking with the students, because they're so excited, the sky's the limit,” said Sandhu. “Now that we've gotten the Bee Campus USA certification, they've really got their eyes set on the City USA certification and getting Findlay certified as a Bee City USA affiliate so that's the next step.”

Students interested in joining The Hive can sign up at no cost and no membership fee.

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