Bee(ing) Resilient in Madison
The Garden Club of Madison wants to be among the solution-finders helping to save bees and raise awareness of their importance in our lives. In a word, we want other clubs to get a “bee in their bonnet”.
Here’s the buzz on how the Club brought bees to Bauer Park:
- A chance meeting with two beekeepers at Bauer Park’s Harvest Festival in October 2021 lead to a presentation to the Bauer Advisory Committee by enthusiastic beekeeper Lewis Strauss;
- Bauer had previously entertained the idea of beehives and GCM members Elinor Griffith and Pippa Mannino liaised during multiple meetings with Bauer and the town to be sure all safety and other
requirements were met; - The criteria for finding a location for the hives was very important: near water, near nature, away from high traffic areas. As it happened, the hives are next to two other areas the Club maintains: the apple orchard and the native educational It was meant to “bee”!
- The GCM’s donation of $1,000 went directly to Madison’s Beach and Recreation Department, which oversees Bauer Park and has liability insurance. Thus, legal protection — all happily approved by GCM’s board. In turn, the beekeepers then billed the town for expenses.
- Next, beekeepers, Lewis and fellow beekeeper/GCM member Deidre Prisco, took delivery of two queens and 25,000 honeybees. Deidre’s brightly painted hives “Sunflower” and “Hyacinth” became their home.
- Ongoing expenses are estimated at $400 – 500 annually for sugar supplements, over-wintering supplies, mite treatments, and potential new or replacement bee packages (e.g., if a hive doesn’t survive the winter), and billing is done directly between the beekeepers and GCM. Also, from the sale of jars of honey at the Bauer Harvest Festival, a small amount of money is raised to help defray costs… thanks to those busy, honey-producing bees themselves!
Since the beehives were established in March 2022, GCM has organized many bee-themed events to spotlight bees, their benefits and the perils faced, thus educating youngsters and the community at large. GCM members attended the open-hive demos on World Bee Day and the Bauer Harvest Festival and visited the Bees at Bauer booth — activities promoted through PR at GCM meetings and on our social media pages, and in Madison’s beach and parks bulletin.
The beehives have now become a main attraction at Bauer Park with our beekeepers meeting regularly with children from Madison schools and Bauer Park’s after-school program. Children are fascinated by the bees, the beekeepers’ garb, seeing the honeycombs and have fantastic questions such as “What do bees eat?” (A: Nectar, pollen, and honey), “How many flowers do bees visit on each flight?” (A: 50 to 100 on each flight!) “How many bees live in a hive?” (A: An average hive contains about 50,000 bees!) “Do bees see colors?” (A: Yes, all colors except red!) This Q+A became part of the interactive bee educational display at the Bauer Harvest Festival.
Yes, your club can Bee Resilient too! We’re happy to share information with how we “bee-came” resilient.
