Wofford’s Beekeeping club is not just about honey and avoiding a sting. While these are two aspects of the organization, hive safety education is key.
The club has officially been recognized as an organization on campus, and they are growing fast. Katherine Crum ‘27 is the founder of the club and has worked for almost a year to finally earn this recognition from the college.
She shared that it was a long and lengthy process, but with the support of the environmental studies department as well as the Spartanburg Beekeepers Association, they have been successful in receiving funding and equipment.
The Spartanburg Beekeepers Association is a local beekeeping group in Spartanburg that hives their own bees and produces honey. They have taken Crum under their wing and shown her all of the ins and out of what it takes to run a hive.
“They bring speakers every month to talk about an area of beekeeping, so we go and learn so much. The local beekeepers are so supportive and want to see this club flourish,” Crum said.
Crum has previous experience with beekeeping from her senior year of high school, but has learned even more from the Spartanburg members. She wants to share her passion for bees with her fellow students.
“Beekeeping club is an opportunity to both learn about honeybees and get hands-on experience keeping bees,” Crum said.
These two primary goals are accomplished by two separate events the club has organized. The club has biweekly meetings on campus to educate members on how to keep bees.
Additionally, the club meets weekly at the Wofford owned Goodall Center, located at Glendale, to inspect their very own hive. This hive has been in the works for almost a full year and the club hopes to harvest their very first batch of honey soon.
With this batch, they plan to potentially sell the honey on campus for students and faculty to have a sweet taste of the club. While honey is what first comes to mind when one thinks of beekeeping, Crum emphasized that is not their primary goal.
“The main goal as a beekeeper is to keep the bees safe and alive. If you don’t do that, there’s nothing else you can do,” Crum said.
The club puts much emphasis on pest control and disease prevention, and information like this is often what’s at the heart of their educational meetings.
Bees use the pollen they collect for protein and the honey they create for carbohydrates. So, the bees being able to consume their honey is of utmost priority before the club can harvest the excess for themselves.
Katelyn Boyle ‘27, the current vice president, and future co-president, of the club shared that her personal desire in joining stemmed from her environmental studies background and interest in observing insects. She has now also come to love the bees themselves.
“Once I started actually doing the beekeeping, I loved the bees. I am now fully into the beekeeping aspect too,” Boyle said.
The club encourages each Wofford student to join their GroupMe and follow their Instagram @Wofford_beekeeping to learn more and consider being a part of something that requires no previous knowledge or experience, just a willingness to learn.
“Give it a shot. It’s actually so interesting and so cool when you get out there,” Boyle said.
Boyle and Crum both want to emphasize that this club is very safe. They shared that they have bee protection equipment, BPE, to keep everyone safe from stingers and to protect the bees as well.
Bees are to be thanked for the sweetness of their wonderful honey that so many of us enjoy. Consider learning more about this process and giving back to them as a member of the Wofford Beekeeping Club.
