“We’re hoping to breed our honeybees with native bee populations who’ve been here awhile, to develop our own stock of Airport bees.” Beekeeper John Woodworth, “Flight Path” project founder Bob Redmond and another beekeeper have placed 18 bee hives in a buffer zone around Seattle’s Sea-Tac airport as part of the airport’s habitat conservation efforts.
Against a backdrop of arriving jets, John and Janaia suit up to view the hives close up, including an “Airport Queen” and the eggs she has laid. John discusses how to keep bees calm, honey production, and winter challenges. With honeybee populations plummeting worldwide, “we’re hoping with the stronger, more native bees, that we’re able to have better success with our colonies.” [commonacre.org].
