DatelineCarolinaBee Keeper Sees a Comeback for the Honey Bee

By Kaitlin Stansell

     Bee keepers across the United States have been seeing their honeybees mysteriously disappear since 2006.  Experts blame Colony Collapse Disorder. It spreads at an alarming rate and threatens the nation's $14 billion of staple crops in the U.S.

     Bee keepers across the nation began seeing a loss of 30 to 90 percent of their hives during the winter of 2006. Seemingly healthy bees simply abandoned their hives, never to return.

     Experts have still not found a reason for the mass disappearance of the nation's honey bee population. Although some attribute the phenomenon to harmful pesticides and the emergence of genetically modified crops.

     One Midlands bee keeper says the problem could be declining in our area though.

     Scott Derrick says he hasn't seen much of Colony Collapse Disorder around South Carolina. He says he's actually seen an increase in the colonies he handles. He thinks this could mean a comeback for honey bees across the United States.

     "Hearing what other bee keepers are saying, that they are starting to see them come back a little bit. I never really have seen a tremendous amount of what I would consider Colony Collapse Disorder," says Derrick.

     Derrick makes a living removing unwanted bees around South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia. But he doesn't kill them, he takes them home. He is a third generation bee keeper as well, so he works closely with the Midlands honey bee population 

     "Try to protect them as much as you can. I'm here to save them, not to kill them," says Derrick.

     His most recent removal was at a pre-civil war plantation home called Fonti Flora. It breathes history with worn pine wood floors, original furniture, and pictures of lives that made the house a home.

     The most recent inhabitants are two colonies of honeybees, about  40 thousand bees living within the walls.

     Derrick has been getting more calls for help lately, which he considers a good sign and a potential comeback.

     "The honey bee is bouncing back right now. I've seen a lot of increase in my business. I've done colonies that were 80 thousand to 100 thousand bees. Taken colonies that were 10 foot long, filled boxes up with bees then got 10 gallons of honey," he says.

     He speculates that maybe the problem isn't as serious as it sounds, that it could be something they have dealt with before.

     "I'm not so sure that it hasn't been other pestilence that we've dealt with such as varomite which is probably one of the biggest ones that we have or hive beetles which is another extraordinarily bad problem that we're having," Derrick said.

     He says saving the bees is the most important and rewarding part of his job. He uses a unique method to save nuisance bees he removes from homes and businesses. A hose and specially made wooden boxes remove and capture them safely. 

     "For me it's a business and helps provide for my family, but also, it's a conviction that I have to save the honey bee. It's kind of like our economy. You don't want to do anything really crazy at this point to try to, that would kill any kind of recovery that we might be in the middle of," says Derrick.

    Derrick says he has had to remove bees earlier than usual this year because of the warmer weather.

     "Typically my season, my bee removal season, runs from about march time frame,April time frame through September," says Derrick.