Why Brandon University is setting up beehives on campus
The Brandon University campus is abuzz.
The university is bringing a small number of urban beehives to the city of Brandon as part of a five-year pilot project called Bee-U, which launched last year.
In 2022, there were two hives on campus that produced 250 lbs of honey. This year they are splitting the hives to create four.
“We’ll see how much honey they produce. We’ll see how active the bees are throughout the city, but it’s going to be exciting to see how we can grow with this project,” said Deanna Smid, an associate professor at Brandon University, in an interview on Tuesday.
Over the course of the summer, the hives are set up, maintained and then removed. Once they are removed, the honey is harvested and the bees are returned to their apiary for the winter.
Smid said the project highlights the importance of bees and other pollinators. It also boosts food security in the city of Brandon, as some of the honey is donated to food security organizations.
“It’s easy to forget how important bees and other insects are, but when they’re in your backyard, almost literally, it’s harder to not have them at the forefront of your mind,” she said.
According to a report from the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists, last year was a tough one for bees as there were major losses. Smid explained this does not just impact beekeepers, but has an effect on Manitoba’s agriculture.
“The losses in 2022 were catastrophic. Beekeepers lost close to 100 per cent of their bees,” Smid said, adding that it’s a bit too early to tell what the bee losses were like over the winter.
For those who want to help the bees in their own backyards, Smid’s suggestion is to do “nothing around your yard.”
“Allowing weeds, like dandelions, to grow is actually essential for honeybees and for native pollinators. It’s one of their first food sources in the spring,” she said.
For anyone who wants to catch a glimpse of the hives at Brandon University, they are located on the roof of the Knowles-Douglas Student Union Centre. The university also plans to install cameras to set up a hive-stream.
- With files from CTV’s Ainsley McPhail.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
Manitoba government tables bill to end ban on homegrown recreational cannabis
Manitoba is planning to lift its ban on the home growing of recreational cannabis.
All Alberta wildfires to date in 2024 believed to be human-caused: province
There are 63 wildfires burning in Alberta's forest protection area as of Wednesday morning and seven mutual aid fires, including one in the Municipal District of Peace.