Friday, May 4, 2012

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Pittsylvania Co. Company Distributes Five Million Bees

Posted: Apr 17, 2012 3:50 PM EST
Reporter: James Gherardi l Videographer: R.J. Burnette
Chatham, VA - Bees were all the buzz in Pittsylvania County Tuesday as a bee keeper supply company Dadant had one of their annual bee distributions.
Throughout the day they gave out more than five million of the insects to farmers, hobbyists or anyone who wanted them. About 300 bee keepers came to Chatham, some driving from as far as South Carolina and West Virginia.
"We just enjoy keeping them I guess, and we like the honey," said bee keeper Ann Mills who has had honey bees for decades. "You can learn a lot from bees. From the way they work, from the way they don't work, the way they take care of the hive."
Mills drove from Richmond to pick up her batch of 30,000. And she wasn't alone.
"Oh, it took us about a little over five hours to get down here to get the bees," said Lewis Cline of Yorktown, VA. Cline picked up his first batch, and he says he and his wife can't wait to harvest honey.
Bee keepers swarmed Dadant's bee distribution facility.
"We're supplying them with live bees. We drive south and pick them up in Georgia and we bring them back," said Warehouse Manager Mark Bennett.
Bennett said the bee market is booming.
"Most people know that they produce honey and bees wax. But they don't realize how important they are for pollination. Four years after the bees are gone, so will be humans because pollination is so important."
Colony Collapse is a real concern. Industrial insecticides have been killing off bees in record numbers. But with events like local bee distributions, keepers are doing their part to save these important insects.
"We're going to take them home and take care of them. It's going to be a good hobby for my wife and I. We may end up with some honey and get some bees wax," said Cline.
If you're interested in bee keeping, one of those boxes will run you about $80. Dadant does two distributions like this every year, and the next one is in a couple of weeks.

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