If you think you hear buzzing in San Mateo County lately, you're right. And it's this buzzing that could help to save the struggling Honey bee in California.
Honey bees are becoming a popular backyard hobby for San Mateo residents. And, for the most passionate protectors of this vulnerable species, a lucrative pastime.
They also could be helping California's agriculture, with "more than 1.5 million Honey bee colonies required to pollinate over 850,000 acres of California almonds," according to the E.L. Nino Bee Lab at UC Davis.
"My brother in Ireland has bees," explained John Lenihan over the phone about the inspiration to start keeping bees in his adopted hometown. "His kids loved it, so I thought I'd see if mine were interested."
Turned out they were. Since 2015, his daughter Delaney, 12, and son Jack, 10, have harvested honey from their San Mateo backyard hive in Hayward Park and on Sundays, sell it from a sidewalk table outside Nini's Cafe on N. Idaho Street.
They also joined the Bee Keepers' Guild of San Mateo, a long-established group of Honey bee keepers that holds regular classes and meetings to support bee keepers in the area.
According to the Guild's last recorded census in 2013, the county is home to 688 colonies, some that have survived since 2004. The Guild is currently conducting its 2016-2017 census.
But it's not all good news.
The E.L. Nino Bee Lab website explains: "In the United States alone, approximately 30 percent of Honey Bee colonies are lost each winter due to the combined effect of various pests, pathogens, environmental toxins, and poor nutrition."
"The species is doing ok," said Elina L. Nino, assistant extension apiculturist for the eponymous lab. "But it's still losing colonies each year."
Nino explained that local backyard beekeepers help to spread awareness and educate the public on the species and provide valuable research on hive management. She said her lab is just beginning to roll out a citizen science project to collect data from novice or hobby beekeepers throughout the state.
"We need to have a better understanding about how landscape plays into their survival," Nino said. "But right now, education is the vital role in the Honey bee survival.
Guild secretary and education and outreach coordinator, Kendal Sager, estimates she makes 50 percent of her annual income from teaching kids about bees. For the last eight years, Sager has been touring Bay Area schools sharing her knowledge about bees. She charges $100 for the first class, and $45 for additional classes and also sells honey from her own Los Altos-based farm, Kendal's Bees.
Carefully monitored backyard colonies help to save the Honey bee, Sager says.
"Bees are responsible for one-half of our food supply," Sager explained after teaching a pre-K class in San Mateo last week. "Without them, our almond supply would dry up."
"Bees are so tiny, but so interesting," said Delaney. "I never thought you could learn so much about them, there are new discoveries every day."
"They are the easiest backyard crop to keep, easier than chickens," Sager said. "Mostly because in our climate here they can keep over winter."
Last year alone, Sager produced one ton of honey and sold all but 10 bottles thanks to her class, referrals and social media marketing. Harvesting and educating has been her full-time job for the last three years.
For Delaney, it's a way to save for college and improve her grades.
"I'm always learning a new thing every time you go beekeeping: how they communicate, the swarming process, the queen and eggs hatching," Delaney said. "Science and math have been improved by our work with the bees, it teaches us how to do quick math in our heads."
And its not just hobby beekeepers who are helping to save the Honey bee, gardeners can play an important role as well.
"Any gardener planting native species and pollen-producing plants is helping the Honey bee to survive and thrive, whether in pastoral settings or urban landscapes," Nino said.
Not all San Mateo County cities welcome bees: Foster City doesn't allow bees and the city of San Mateo in 2017 lifted its ban on bee keeping, but all other cities in the county are open to bees. Check your city for its specific bee ordinance.
Honey bees are not aggressive unless their hive is threatened. They die upon stinging. Bumblebees, wasps and yellowjackets and hornets, however, can sting multiple times. For information about identifying the different species, visit the guild's website: sanmateobeeguild.org/swarm_removal.html.
On May 3, the Guild will welcome Cindy Burgdorf, a master gardener to talk about gardening for pollinators and Honey bees. The meeting is at 6:30 p.m. at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 1106 Alameda de las Pulgas in San Carlos.
For more information about the guild, visit: sanmateobeeguild.org.
