How did EKU's Environmental Research Institute come to be interested in promoting beekeeping in eastern Kentucky?
I was Berea College's 2006 NEH Chair of Appalachian Studies and, as part of the research required for that year, I started an environmental monitoring project on Starfire Mine Site in Perry County. The ERI seemed a logical place in which to continue my research, since International Coal Group (a different coal company) wanted to participate in a long term bee project that would focus more on rural economic development than environmental monitors.

Why mine reclamation sites?
There has been very little creativity when discussing mine reclamation, but the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative has encouraged coal companies to plant forests in hopes of establishing a timber industry. But if the appropriate trees are planted, a beekeeping industry could develop in these large tracts of land.

Decades ago, beekeeping was far more common in the region than it is today? Why do we see less of the activity today?
There are two obvious reasons for the decline in beekeeping in Appalachia. First, the agrarian social infrastructure that encouraged beekeeping has changed fundamentally since the 1950s. I was fortunate to have two grandparents--a grandfather from the paternal side, a grandmother from the maternal -- who emphasized the value of honey bees. But many people are removed from the land and their elders. Second, in the 1980s, honey bee colonies were decimated by parasites. The United States had a ban on honey bee imports since 1922, and thus, our bees have had very little genetic immunity to global parasites until 1986. Commercial beekeepers, those with 200 hives or more, lost 80% of their colonies in some states.

What can a resurgence in beekeeping do for the region, economically and environmentally?
At least 30 percent of our food depends on honey bee pollination. Almonds, cherries, watermelons, apples, blueberries, and cantaloupes are just a few items that depend on honey bee pollination. Other fodder crops such as clover and alfalfa are also pollinated bees, thus ensuring that our cattle, horses, and other livestock have adequate food supplies. So in terms of providing valuable nutritious food, honey bees ensure that we have a variety of foods to make us healthy.

Because most of the reclaimed mine land is not available, commercial beekeeping in eastern Kentucky could prove difficult. However, value-added products associated with bees such as candles, lotions, creams and honey can bring in a supplemental income. There is also an additional line of income for those people who wanted to try more advanced skills such as queen rearing and/or migratory pollination. So there is plenty of room for people to expand in different ways when keeping bees.

How will you go about generating interest again in beekeeping?
I'm offering a series of beginning beekeeping workshops at the Perry County Extension Office in March and April. The first will be open to the general public, but I also am scheduled to work with the Perry County 4-H group.

Where will your efforts be focused, and what will begin to happen this year?
I'm focusing on Perry County at the immediate moment because International Coal Group has three mine sites located relatively close to Hazard. Furthermore, the county extension agent, who is not a beekeeper, would like to encourage the project. This year, three sites will be set up as training sites, and by the end of the year, we'd like to see if it is possible to locate a fourth site in Leslie County. ICG will be planting 2,000 sourwood trees, which is a native Appalachian tree, in an effort to establish some local varietal honeys.

Those interested in supporting the Honey Bee Reclamation Project can contact the EKU Development Office at 622-3116.