E&H Professor Provides New Home for Displaced Bees
Edward Davis, a geography professor at Emory & Henry College, has a passion for creatures both big and small; most recently, his passion has led to the protection of local bees from displacement.
The new radio tower for the college was meant to bring all varieties of progress and development. What the builders of the tower didn’t count on, however, was the environmental impact the tower would bring.
In order to build this new tower, four trees would have to be cut down. As Chair of the Landscape Committee for the area, Davis was asked to approve this step in construction. In investigating the issue, he found that it was not just trees that would be destroyed, but a whole colony of honeybees.
Honeybee populations in the United States are declining rapidly because of a condition called “colony collapse disorder”. While specialists are not sure exactly what causes it, there is some suggestion to mite problems and especially invasive species that cause disease. This disorder has wiped out about one third of the honeybee population in the United States.
Because of this disease, it is very important to keep the existing hives healthy and protected; and that is exactly what Davis intended to do with the hive near the radio tower.
He was not only concerned that the tree was being cut, but also when it was being cut. If they were to cut the tree in the fall, the bees would have no time to gather honey before the winter. Davis consulted local beekeepers on the best way to solve this problem.
Option one involved having separate boxes with honey in them just outside the tree. When it was cut down, the bees would hopefully swarm to the honey boxes and be able to survive. However, this option was a risk because the queen bee might want to stay, and so the whole colony would remain in the tree.
Option two involved cutting down the tree and dragging it to another location, while keeping the hive inside. Davis reports, “We’ve got to save the tree!” In late August, the tree cutters donned their protective gear and succeeded in dragging the tree away and relocating the beehive.
Because the tree was then horizontal, Davis also made sure that water couldn’t destroy the hive by placing wooden boards over the entrance hole to the hive.
Teresa Keller of the mass communications department warned Davis that the hive seemed less active lately. As a result, Davis had a bee specialist report on the progress of the hive, to which he reported it was very healthy.
Davis said, “Our main objective now is to keep the hive healthy.”
His dedication to protecting the environment has proven to pay off as Davis saved the beehive from displacement and possible destruction.
Filed Under: Campus News • News
About the Author: Sophomore Hannah Rhodes is a Mass Communications and Public Policy and Community Service double major. A native of Richmond, Hannah works for the campus radio station and also helps with the weekly television show. This is her second year working with EHCWired. She enjoys writing, playing soccer, and spending time with friends. She volunteers at the Highlands Project after school program and enjoys participating in community service. Family is important to her, as she is one of five children. Her time at Emory has been wonderful, and she can’t wait to have even more experiences.
