On April 20, the Olympia Beekeepers Association will bring approximately 30,000 European honeybees to the Capitol Campus and place them in two hives positioned in the front lawn of the Governor’s Mansion.

The bees and hives are being brought to the Capitol Campus by the Olympia Beekeepers Association as part of a collaborative effort with the Department of Enterprise Services.

The purpose is to raise public awareness about the decline in bee populations throughout the United States, and the special importance of honeybees to the food we eat and Washington’s agriculture economy. Another goal is to boost the pollination of plants at the mansion and on the campus, including the Thurston County Food Bank vegetable gardens on east Capitol Campus managed by the Olympia Kiwanis Club.

The Beekeepers Association will set up the two hives on the mansion lawn on April 14. The hives will initially consist of a stand and a single large “brood” box, which is where the queen bee will lay her eggs.

Later in the spring, smaller boxes will be stacked on top of the bigger one to store excess honey. Association beekeepers will be responsible for the care and upkeep of the hives.

Bee populations in decline

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), honeybee populations have been declining since the 1980s due to a variety of factors, including:

• Pathogens and pests.
• Nutrition problems due to a lack of diversity or availability of pollen and nectar sources.
• Possible sublethal effects of pesticides.
• Colony Collapse Disorder: First reported in the mid-2000s, this syndrome is defined as a dead colony with no adult bees or dead bee bodies but with a live queen and immature bees still present. No scientific cause for the disorder has been proven, according to USDA.

The USDA estimates that one-third of all food consumed in the United States is made possible by pollination, mainly by honeybees. An estimated $15 billion worth of crops is pollinated by honeybees, including more than 130 fruits and vegetables. More information about honeybee health is available at the USDA website.

East campus bees

Later this month, Enterprise Services will be bringing in a different bee species to the east side of the Capitol Campus. Department groundskeepers will install eight mason bee “condominiums” at various locations on the east campus. The condos will provide a place for mason bees to raise their young.

There are several species of mason bees, including one native to the coastal Pacific Northwest. Unlike honeybees, mason bees are solitary. While they mostly use existing holes in old trees for their nests, they will also use artificial structures, such as bee condos.

The groundskeepers built the condos using eight-foot-tall cedar posts, drilling more than a hundred holes in each one. The condos will be used for attracting resident mason bees. Enterprise Services is also ordering several thousand mason bee cocoons that will be inserted into the condos.

Mason bees are small and easily confused with flies but have longer antennae, smaller eyes and four wings. In many ways, mason bees are more efficient pollinators than honeybees, according to bee experts. Unlike honeybees, mason bees will forage for pollen in cool, damp weather.

About bee stings

Honeybees are non-aggressive and will generally only sting in self-defense or when protecting a hive, according to the Olympia Beekeepers Association. Hornets, which are not related to honeybees, are much more likely to sting a person, according to the group. Honeybees are able to sting only once and will die after they have released their stinger.

Unlike honeybees or bumblebees, mason bees are solitary. Mason bees rarely sting and do not act aggressively around their nests. Bee experts say mason bees are safe to have around children and pets.

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