A garden growing food for pantries in Johnson County is struggling with its bee population.
Mitzvah Garden KC had three beehives until September, that’s when one suddenly stopped producing honey. That hive had been there four to five years, but without honey, those bees left.
“So very quickly the bees left, unexpectedly for us,” said Larry Lehemen, cofounder of Mitzvah Garden KC.
Beekeepers said they are not certain what caused it, but they are blaming mites.
“They were going gangbusters. They produced the most honey. Looking back on it, the queen did very well, we should've treated them and gotten back to them earlier,” Bob Burns, treasurer of the Northeastern Kansas Beekeepers Association explained. Burns said they have treated the other two hives.
Beekeepers said each of their hives can house up to 30,000 live bees.
Keeping the bees healthy is important to the volunteers at Mitzvah Garden KC.
Their overall health is linked to how much honey is produced, which is sold to fund a fruit and vegetable garden. That garden feeds people at five or six food pantries in the area.
Last year the garden sold about 100 pounds of honey.
Beekeepers said right now they are trying to boost the bee population in their colony. They are trying to split a colony and breed a queen bee.
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Belinda Post can be reached at belinda.post@kshb.com.
