Bee Part of the Community: Honeybees are pollinator powerhouses

When you think of the word comradery, you probably don‘t imagine a group of beekeepers—but in Missouri, that’s exactly what you get.

The Missouri State Beekeepers Association decided to swarm St. Louis this year, bringing with them honey ladles, bad puns and, of course, giant crates of purchasable bees.

From doctors to lawyers, distributors and scientists, the bee-loving people of Missouri made a big buzz at the state conference on Oct. 26. First Alert 4 was able to fly on by and see exactly what all the buzz was about.

Open to anyone interested in the yellow and black bugs, the Missouri Bee Conference offered a look at pollinator dangers, habitat improvement, tools to improve bee-human relations and even honey ice cream.

Jane Sueme, owner of Isabee‘s supply store, told First Alert 4 that it‘s a unique experience to be in a room with 200 other beekeepers. The current president told our reporter that while some people have hobbies like skydiving and motorcycling, he keeps bees because “it’s cheaper than therapy.”

They‘re even working to get a bee-themed license plate for those bee-aficionados that can’t hide their hive mind.

All in all, the day was packed with speakers, USDA experts, books and conversations about how to better take care of the honeybee. Members of the state conference told First Alert’s busy-bee reporter that honeybee populations have been increasing ever since coverage exploded of decreasing honeybee populations.

A major concern, according to local experts, is how honeybees are dealing with consistently warmer temperatures.

While the conference has come and gone, it’s not too late to get involved. There are a number of local chapters to join across the Show Me State.

And, if keeping live insects at arm‘s length isn’t your thing, you can always help pollinators by planting a bee-friendly garden, according to Federal experts. Filled with plenty of bee-focused bee-nefits -- like milkweed and other tasty weeds.

More on this 135-year-old bee-loving non-profit Association can be found on their website.