Bringing Back the Bees

Wild Mitten, a honey co-op in West Michigan, is working to bring Grand Rapids' their first Community Apiary/Honey Bee Garden. The Apiary will be located 15 minutes north of Grand Rapids at The Izaak Walton League nature preserve.

The co-op was started by Joshua Kruis and Teresa DeJager in 2014 after Joshua was hired to do hive removal. Joshua was astounded by the intelligence of the bees and he brought home a swarm of bees he removed from a music festival and started a hive. The co-op arose out of people's genuine concern for colony collapse and the lives of the bees when they were having bees removed from a site. 

You can read more about their story on their website. You can also join the efforts of co-op (and enjoy the honey they produce) by purchasing a honey subscription or by becoming a virtual bee-keeper and sponsoring a hive.

Bees are a crucial part of our food landscape. Without the hives to pollinate the plants, agriculture would cease. To learn more about the rapidly vanishing bee population, you can watch Vanishing of the Bees on Netflix.