This summer the bees in the hives at American Tobacco in downtown Durham got to take a road trip. Why? Bee Downtown shares the scoop in a recent article in the e-news and website, “American Tobacco Apiary Goes on a Summer Vacation.”
Why the temporary relocation? July and early August for honey bees is known as “The Death.” Nectar and pollen sources slow down, or even stop, during peak summer. So the honey bees go searching for food wherever they can find it.
Guess why American Tobacco bees started producing colorful honey?
“At our apiary located on the American Tobacco Campus (ATC), the bees found some very interesting sources of sugary and sweet food nearby,” explains Bee Downtown. “After slurping up cocktails, slushies, sodas, and the like, the honeybees turned their hive into a rainbow-colored candyland. Why? In many cities at this time of year, sodas and sweet drinks are all the bees can find in the 3-mile radius they forage in.”
So the bees didn’t overload on “junk food” and so the ATC visitors weren’t scared by the bees increased presence near the sweet drink zone, Bee Downtown loaded up the six hives on the campus rooftop and took them to a new location Northeast Durham. No worries, the bees will be back when the “dearth” is over.
Check out the full details in the Bee Downtown article:
Thanks to Bee Downtown for these capcom photos.