Shane Reno donned his protective beekeeping attire and rode in the bucket of a vertical lift up to where he had access to the rafters at Mt. Zion Presbyterian Church in Central City. The historic church has a problem – bees have set up a colony near the highest point of the chapel. Reno came to remove the bees on April 12.
Mt. Zion Presbyterian Church was built in 1804, at a wagon trail crossroads, according to the state historical marker that sits at the end of the long driveway up to the chapel. The graveyard along side the church is the final resting place for people as far back as the Revolutionary and Civil Wars.
On this day, the bees are winning the battle. While they haven’t stormed the sanctuary quite yet, church elder Mitchell Brand said one was seen during the service last Sunday. That’s when the church reached out to Reno to have the hive removed.
Reno said he’s been doing this type of work for several years. He carefully removed the siding, cut an access hole in the wall, and carefully removed the colony, to be rehabilitated at his apiary in Greenville. He cut out the comb, which contains the brood and any honey stored there.
“The bees don’t have a very long lifespan, the worker bees only live about 31 days,” Reno said. “The older bees will die off, and if you don’t have brood behind that to replace them, the whole colony will die.”
Saving bees is the point for Reno. “Nobody likes being stung, but past that, you have to look at the benefit of them. They’re here for a purpose.”
That purpose is pollinating plants. A bee lands on a flower, collects pollen from it and then flies on to the next, spreading the pollen. It’s an vital part of the plant’s reproduction, creating fruit and seeds.
Reno said there are many threats to the bee population these days. A mite called the Varroa mite is a parasite that attacks and feeds on honey bees, spreading disease throughout the colony. Some bees are showing genetic changes that make them resistant to the mites, and have inherited a trait called Varroa hygienic behavior. These worker bees detect and remove dead or diseased brood from the sealed cells.
The Varroa mite has threatened bee populations around the globe, Reno said. There are other viruses that can affect bees too, and once a colony collapses, surviving bees often travel to other colonies, spreading the disease with them. This happens with chemicals too.
People are quick to try and eliminate bees with chemical sprays, Reno said. These pesticides kill off the brood, and any surviving bees can spread the chemicals to other colonies as they try and find a new home.
Removing bees and reestablishing their colonies is a labor of love for Reno. He said he offers to do the work for free, and accepts donations to help pay for the things he needs to build up his apiary. There, he tries to help the bees rebuild.
Early spring is the perfect time to remove bees, Reno said. It offers them the best chance at survival, because pollen is readily available at this time of year.
“Timing is essential. They still have a lot to forage, to help gather back anything that was destroyed.”
Reno said the aisles at the grocery store would look a lot different if it weren’t for bees. “So, how dependent are we on the honeybee? Well, 80% of our fruit and vegetables are dependent on honeybees to be pollinated,” he said.
Reno left the church with the remains of the colony in a plastic tote. He will take it back to his apiary and move them into a new hive. Cleaning up the remains of the hive is important too, he said.
Leftover bits of honey and comb will draw other pests to the site. He’ll make repairs to the wall, and replace the siding before the job is finished.
And hopefully next Sunday in church, there will be no bees joining in with the choir.
