Students of the Land and Food Systems Faculty, Will Valley and Leanna Killoran, have been the primary caretakers of the Langstroth hive that is established in the LFSOG. Faculty staff Martin Hilmer and student Nicky Grunfeld also contribute to the maintenance of the bee hive. An additional hive or two hives at the LFSOG would require more time and work. As a student’s stay at UBC is not permanent, others will be needed to continue their work. It is therefore important to see where the interests of the students lie to ensure that the bees will be well-taken care of in the future years.
When fifty UBC students were surveyed, it was found that 88% had an interest in seeing new hives established. Of those that were interested, 68% were willing to contribute time and effort in maintaining the bees, whether it may be handling them or simply working to build a better environment for the bees. As a large portion of work would consist of maintaining the LFSOG itself, this project would not only attract students with an interest in bees, but also those interested in agriculture and the environment. The LFSOG currently has a group of student volunteers and this group will only expand with the addition of bee hives.
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