The buzz is real in Fremont, Michigan, where the Great Lakes Bee Company witnessed a swarm of local and commercial beekeepers lining up to secure their share of the apiary action. According to FOX 17, the company celebrated the return of the bees from their wintertime gigs in warmer climates, and the dedicated bee herders were ready to bolster their ranks with about 1,000 bee colonies, ready to take flight and pollinate Michigan's rich diversity of crops.
In what can only be described as a sticky operation these honeybees are the backbone of an intricate nationwide pollination tour after a stint in California's almond fields and a sojourn in Georgia to replenish their numbers. The 13 ON YOUR SIDE reported that the Bee Pick-Up Day marked the return of these pollinators, ready to transform local flora into 150,000 pounds of the sweet golden nectar, we know as honey.
Genji LeClair, co-founder of the Great Lakes Bee Company, emphasized the urgent need to safeguard them, an important part of Michigan's agricultural fabric, which features essential crops like blueberries, cherries, and others depending on bee pollination. "You want to protect them. We have to protect them," LeClair said, per FOX 17, highlighting the burgeoning trend towards backyard beekeeping and the collective effort to reverse the declines seen in past years.
Backing up the significance of these travelers, LeClair stated, as per WCMU Radio: "They are travelers, they are on the road quite a bit," outlining the bees' cross-country pollination adventures that start in California's almond orchards and move through various blooming crops nationwide. The tidal wave of bees doesn't halt even after Michigan's harvests are pollinated as the bees are carted down south for their winter hiatus, before the cycle begins anew each spring, a cycle witnessing a 31% increase in bee colonies, as recent statistics showed.
Aspiring beekeepers who missed out on the buzzing event this time can prep for the following season; LeClair advises hopeful apiarists to join regional bee clubs and do their research ahead of time. With preorders for next spring's bees opening come November, the Great Lakes Bee Company seems to be setting the stage for another frenzied, bee-focused spring in Michigan's fruitful future.
