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May 5, 2022Since April 2020, our garden has hosted a beehive from Buddha Bee Apiary. Currently, there are three hives within a one-mile radius of the church.
At a checkup at the beginning of February, the hive population had grown more than expected and it became necessary to split the hive to prevent the bees from forming a swarm. There is a hive at Father Robert’s house, one in the garden on our campus and one a mile away at a parishioner's house.
So how do bees enhance the environment around our campus? In their search for nectar to feed the bee colony, bees excel at pollinating vegetables, fruits, flowers, and other plants. About 80 percent of crops in the U.S. are said to be dependent on honey bees. The health of bee colonies currently is at serious risk due to pesticide use, climate change, habitat destruction and mites.
During 2020, the first growing season with our bees, the garden yielded more than 4,500 pounds of food, the most ever grown and donated from the garden. In 2021, we topped that total by 300 pounds.
The Parktown Food Hub at Parkwood United Methodist Church has regularly received produce from our garden for years. The Hub recognized how much more productive the garden had become since the bees arrived and generously donated the money for the two additional beehives.
The Hub distributes food several times a week. Our garden volunteers bring produce from the parish garden along with home garden donations every Saturday at the South Durham farmers market. Home gardeners in our parish have donated about a quarter of the food we share with local pantries each year.
So far this year, home gardeners have contributed nearly 30 pounds of produce. Interested in donating to the Lettuce Pray program? Just plant an extra row in your home garden and bring the produce to the garden on Saturday mornings.
