A group of UNM students are hoping to create a literal buzz with an initiative to have a beehive on campus.
The Campus Development Advisory Committee addressed the UNM Beekeeping Club’s proposal on Wednesday.
Associate professor of architecture Gabriella Gutierrez said if the club wants the committee to take their proposal seriously, they need to name officers, so that it’s associated with a person to ensure accountability.
“Names and titles need to be in the proposal, so that if the beehive is abandoned five years from now, UNM will know who to contact,” she said.
Beekeeping Club President Elizabeth Lake said she had a problem knowing who to ask to get the hive project started, and planned to make a more formal proposal after she received more information about the process.
“I was really happy the committee was receptive to the idea of a hive on campus,” Lake said.
Gutierrez said the club needs to be proactive as a student organization in engaging with the faculty adviser of their club.
UNM Sustainability Manager Mary Clark said the group had been working since last semester to have their proposal heard by the committee, but had trouble getting the proposal on an agenda.
Gutierrez advised the club to research locations, analyze potential sites and include a map for reference in their proposal.
“The location needs to be a place where people can see, understand and participate,” she said.
Lake had suggested the rooftop garden of the architecture building as a possible site for the hive, but that idea was struck down.
“A student group having access to the rooftop is not realistic due to liability issues,” Gutierrez said.
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Suggestions for the beehive location also included Barren Fairways at UNM North Golf Course and Lobo Gardens.
“My concern is the water issue,” Clark said. “Bees need a source of water.”
Celi Lopez-Binder, the club’s secretary, said water shouldn’t be an issue and that a bucket of water can simply be filled and emptied at the site.
Gutierrez otherwise applauded the proposal, citing similar efforts around the country to encourage the protection of bee communities.
Lake said cities around the nation are making resolutions to become official “Bee Cities,” metropolitan areas committed to the protection of bees.
Policies having to do with the appropriate use of pesticides are being passed nationwide, she said, and in recent weeks Albuquerque has joined the effort to protect pollinators, becoming an official “Bee City” in the process.
Lake said the results of a 2015-2016 New Mexico bee survey showed that the number one cause of beehive loss is mite infestation and subsequent virus infection.
“Sadly, New Mexico reports higher varroa mite infestations than any other state,” she said.
Lopez-Binder spoke about the anomaly of colony collapse disorder, which is becoming more and more common in recent years as entire bee populations tend to disappear.
“It’s scary because no one knows why it’s happened, but entire beehives disappear,” she said. “Other insects won’t inhabit abandoned hives, which is really weird. It’s very strange behavior for bees to abandon their hives.”
Lopez-Binder said it’s good for UNM’s reputation in the long run to allow a beehive on campus.
“UNM has the slogan, ‘Love Red, Live Green,’” she said. “All plants need pollinators. Without them we wouldn’t be able to eat. Everything that grows on campus would benefit from a hive.”
Although the club’s proposal was not detailed enough for the Campus Development Advisory Committee, the proposal did address allergies and safety.
“Through our research the club has learned that life-threatening allergies to bee stings are actually incredibly rare,” the proposal reads.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, roughly 0.1 percent of humans are actually allergic to bee stings.
“Even if we don’t get the hive, we definitely want to focus on educating people, and doing projects to help bees,” Lopez-Binder said.
Clark, who volunteered to be an adviser for the club, said she expects the proposal for the hive to be accepted by the committee by next semester.
“I was really happy the committee was receptive to the idea of a hive on campus,” Lake said.
