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Stephen Anthony (left) and Amy Gronus (right) tend to the bees at UConn's hives. In Anthony's hand is the case that holds the Queen Bee.

New Hives Generate A 'Buzz'

UConn To Use Local Bees To Make Dining Halls' Honey

By: Alison Mazzoni

Posted: 6/9/08

In an effort to expand sustainable food on campus, UConn has purchased 100,000 bees from a farm in Georgia to produce its honey supply.

On Saturday, May 31, the bees were released into 10 hives behind an old apple orchard about two miles off campus, according to Dennis Pierce, director of UConn Dining Services. Pierce did not want to reveal the exact location of the apiaries in order to protect the hives from theft.

The bees are expected to produce about 2,000 pounds of honey annually, just over half of the 3,800 pounds the university uses in its dining units, bakeries and catering each year, Pierce said.

The majority of the honey will be used as tea honey rather then cooking honey, said Pierce. It will be supplied at the tea stations in different dining units.

As part of UConn's Sustainable Dining Program, local honey has already been used in Whitney Dining Hall. According to the Dining Services Web site, Whitney's menu is "designed to feature delicious local, sustainable ingredients."

"To buy local makes sense," Pierce said. "We look at every opportunity we can to support the local community and support local farmers."

According to the Web site, the Sustainable Dining Program supports other local companies such as Omar Coffee, Bigelow Tea and Garelick Farms Dairy. Whitney also features vegetables from the university's student-maintained EcoGarden, as well as eggs from university-raised chickens, according to Anthony.

"We're still in the learning stage," Pierce said. "We want to start to transition [sustainable foods] into the larger units."

Stephen Anthony, an assistant manager for Dining Services, proposed the idea of honey cultivation earlier this year after he visited the bees of UConn Production Chef, Amy Gronus. Anthony pitched his idea to Pierce, who approved the project and the Department of Plant Science provided the land.

"It was the right thing to do because we're an agricultural college," Pierce said.

A little over $4,000 was spent on start-up equipment, hives, veils and bees - an expense that should pay for itself in about two years, Pierce said.

Anthony assembled the hives with the help of his son Zach. Once completed, the hives were sent to various locations in the community, such as the senior center and several schools, to be painted.

"We got 10 works of art," Pierce said.

Currently, Anthony and Gronus care for the hives. In the spring, the bees require a lot of maintenance and are fed large quantities of sugar water. In the summer, they are mostly self-sufficient, and in the fall, the beekeepers extract the honey and harvest it.

"The initial start-up was a lot of work," Anthony said. "Once you get set, there are a few maintenance things, but it's not a lot of labor."

In the future, Pierce hopes to involve students in the beekeeping process.

UConn's new apiary program is a "no-lose situation," Anthony said. "We're still running a sustainable program. If nothing else, the bees are pollinating the whole campus. It's kind of a great all-around project."

Contact Alison Mazzoni at Alison.Mazzoni@UConn.edu.