Marching to the Beat of a Different Hum

Photo by Grant Beachy
Photo by Grant Beachy
Beekeeper Roy Saenz inspects a hive frame that is crawling with honeybees. He’s looking for signs of colony health, including the presence of an active queen, fresh eggs and growing larvae.
Photo by Grant Beachy
Honeybees congregate around a hive entrance. The tiny hairs you see on their bodies help them collect pollen.
Photo by Grant Beachy
A healthy and active honeybee colony will buzz with activity around the hive entrance. If you look closely, you will see golden sacs of pollen on the hind legs of at least one honeybee.
Beekeeper Roy Saenz inspects hive frames one by one in his backyard on the northwest side of South Bend. You’ll notice he isn’t wearing gloves. Some beekeepers wear thick leather gloves, some wear thin examination gloves and others wear none, all based on comfort and preference.
Photo by Grant Beachy
Photo by Grant Beachy
According to Mayor Buttigieg, the call for bees comes out of a growing local interest in sustainability and urban revitalization, and a desire to contribute in a positive way to the national and global issue of colony collapse disorder.