Bees a powerful ally in the farming community
Jeff Pendlebury, holding two honey samples, and his father-in-law Jim Croskey have set aside several acres at DalRoy Farms, where they have put close to 20 hives of bees to work to enhance their crops.
Honey created by bees can create any number of useful products beyond simply honey. Cough drops, lip balm, skin softener and many other products are derived from the honeycomb bees make.
Also, bees in a natural setting are utilized to enhance crops, and thus far it has paid big dividends.
Jeff Pendlebury and his father-in-law Jim Croskey have set aside several acres at DalRoy Farms, dedicating it to crops like clover and canola, which are highly attractive to bees.
In doing so, they have fashioned around 20 bee hives, and because of the way bees commit to hard work, the pollen they drag around while collecting it and taking it back to their respective hives has helped pollinate the fields and enhance the farm’s crops.
During the recent Tom Graham 5th Grade Farm Tour, Pendlebury joined Jacob Stutz, ODNR wildlife management consultant, to explain the importance of bees to the natural farmland.
The two started with the queen bees, talked about drone and worker bees, and talked the students through the daily life of a bee. They discussed details about the role bees play on the farm and in nature and talked at length about the way bees create a working society.
One of Stutz’s jobs is to find ways to create bee habitat year round so they don’t have to fly as far away to collect pollen. That means planting crops that mature at different times of the year, and each flower helps create a different color and sweetness to the honey, depending on the flowers’ characteristics.
He said shrubs like honey locust also are valuable assets, and the hope is to create a quality variety for the bees.
He showed the kids honeys that were made about one month apart that featured two different colors, saying different nectars have varying degrees of fructose and glucose that make honey crystalize at different rates.
Pendlebury said their farm has focused on raising bees to benefit their farm and it has shown many benefits.
“One of our goals was to reintroduce bees to the area, and we have about 20 hives here,” Pendlebury said, noting there are beekeepers that have close to 200 hives. “The value of honeybees to the farming community is immense.”
As of now, Pendlebury said they have hives that make them a hobbyist in the industry, but he hopes to develop more and create a bigger market to help area farmers better understand the power bees have to aid the growth of crops.
Pendlebury said the family started its beekeeping experience almost by accident, but it was a happy accident they have enjoyed.
“When Jim bought the farm in 2018, there was an old white pine that they cut down and didn’t realize there was a bee’s nest in it,” Pendlebury said. “So we sat it back up and watched that hive for about a year, and that got the wheels turning with the idea and we got into beekeeping. It just snowballed into the passion it is today.”
He went on to talk about studies that have shown bee populations can produce a 15-20% increase in bushels per acre for soybeans with a strong bee population nearby.
“You do the math, and that is about around a $30,000 increase in production just by having bees around,” Pendlebury said.
He also said once they began rearing more bees and creating more colonies, not only did they see a much better crop yield, but also they saw the most raspberries they had ever had.
“Bees are simply amazing,” Pendlebury said.
After experiencing that type of growth in their crops, Pendlebury said he hopes to start talking to area farmers about the power of bees.
He said his hope is to provide area farmers with hives near their crops so they too can experience the growth they have seen.
“It makes a ton of sense,” Pendlebury said. “It takes very little space, the bees care for themselves and the end result has been amazing. I’m hoping that we can start a program where we increase our hives and share this benefit with others. Bigger farms could see an increase of around $100,000 without having to do anything.”
Stutz said seeding low-lying, wet areas in a field with various flowering crops that mature throughout the year and provide pollen for many months is one way for farmers to fully utilize their entire farmland.
Pendlebury said the bee program is something that is down the road, and for now he will enjoy the benefits of what the bees are doing for their farm.
“The bees create a win-win for everyone,” he said. “It’s something I am eager to share with others down the road, and it’s a matter of education. Hopefully, more and more farmers will discover the power of bees and the many benefits they present.”
While tiny, these little insects remain mighty workers, and their hive mentality to produce and do their jobs makes them a powerful ally to area farmers.