A typical day at the Ohio State Wooster Honey Bee Lab involves maintaining beehives, reviewing beekeeping literature, conducting bee research and maintaining the bee museum.

The lab, which is home to more than 2 million bees, isn’t recommended for those with apiphobia — a fear of bees. But for anyone else, beekeeping can be “fulfilling and challenging,” said James Tew of the OSU Department of Entomology.

“For individuals who enjoy biological studies, outdoor activities, woodworking, small scale marketing, product development, ecological contributions and quality food production, beekeeping is completely enjoyable,” he said.

OSU is among a select group of colleges with honey bee labs, including Cornell, Penn State, Minnesota, University of California Davis and the University of Illinois. The labs are used to study honey bees, which have been dwindling in number in recent years.

Apis mellifera, otherwise known as the honey bee, is the primary bee in the honey lab. While these bees sting as a method of defense, they are not recognized as dangerous.

“During the [warm months], when we are working with our colonies, we will probably be stung more than the average person,” Tew said.
“Even on a very bad day, we will rarely take more than one to 12 stings. While that may sound like a lot, we are working with several million bees.”

The goal of the lab is to provide correct and timely bee information to Ohioans. The lab teaches beekeepers, advises home owners who have bee questions and works with fruit and vegetable producers who need bees for pollination.

The number of beehives in the U.S. has declined from 5 million in 1970 to about 2.4 million today, but pollination demands are greater than ever. Without the pollination efforts of honey bees, the world would rely on grains such as corn and wheat, without widespread access to more diverse foods.

“I doubt that honey bees will go extinct anytime soon,” Tew said. “Unfortunately, there are thousands of other species of bees that are in much greater jeopardy

“We are presently uncertain why honey bee populations are declining,” he said. “Possible reasons include inbred genetics, new viral pathogens, pesticides, decreased food sources and nesting sites, parasites and overuse of bees for pollination.”

The OSU bee lab routinely employs students to help with all aspects of the lab. Students who prefer not to be around bees are not expected to work with live colonies. Otherwise, students help maintain the laboratory, maintain beekeeping equipment and process and bottle honey. They are also a great help in pouring beeswax candles.

“Students are always interesting workers. While most tasks go very well, we have had students knock over beehives with a mower, spill gallons and gallons of honey on the floor and assemble large amounts of bee equipment incorrectly,” Tew said. “All of these events were recoverable. We need student help to continue our day-to-day operation.”

Candy, lip balm, lotion, soap, beeswax candles, honey jars and other honey edibles are just some of the products produced by the lab.

“In general, bee products are healthy and delectable,” Tew said. “Honey is an excellent natural sweetener. Many products have widely accepted anecdotal medicinal uses. Many people use honey for various ailments and enjoyment.”

To enjoy fresh Ohio honey products or learn more about the honey bee lab, visit honeybeelab.com. What