Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Honeybees, which are often misunderstood and wrongly feared, are vital to sustaining agricultural production. The U.S. Department of Agriculture states that about 35 percent of the world’s food crops depend on animal pollinators to produce.
Scientists are warning of severe honeybee losses in 2025. Researchers at Washington State University have projected that honeybee colonies in the U.S. could decline by up to 70 percent this year.
Owens Community College is aiming to be part of the solution to the problem, housing apiaries at both the Toledo-area and Findlay-area campuses.
An apiary on the Toledo-area Campus was started in spring 2019, with the Findlay apiary predating that. Krista Kiessling, director of the Campus and Community Connections that runs the hives, was a beekeeper at home. She knew the honey produced by the bees would be a good way to raise funds to support the Garden Harvest food pantry and community garden efforts.
Kiessling does not harvest all the honey available in the hives. She sells the small amount they take for $10 per pint, with the funds directed into the foundation account that supports the food pantry, community garden, free store, career closet and apiary.
“Most people are fearful of honeybees because they don’t understand them. We want to help as many people as possible to understand the nature of honeybees and their importance to our food systems locally and beyond,” Kiessling said. “Not only can students learn about bee behavior, but they learn about the impact of poor land management, chemical pesticides and irresponsible agricultural processes. They begin to ask questions and those questions lead to action.”
Anyone interested in learning more about the apiaries or volunteering their time can contact Kiessling at krista_kiessling@owens.edu. She makes weekly trips to check on the hives, but that schedule is dependent upon various environmental and weather-related factors.
“Ideally, we would like to see more students and faculty involved in the apiary to educate on the importance of pollinators, especially those that are endangered,” Kiessling said. “The Findlay-area campus has a significant apiary as well. They started before we did.”
Selling the honey is a small part of the beekeeping process. Most of the time is spent inspecting the hives for health, ensuring the bees are reproducing and continuing on to a new generation.
“As with many things we do, it’s an unexpected project at a community college campus,” Kiessling said. “I enjoy taking innovative approaches to education and hands-on learning is the best tool there is. I have yet to introduce someone to the hives without them becoming fascinated with bee behavior and impact. It’s a wonderful way to connect with the food we eat.”
