The Amazon in flames. Co2 levels rising. Melting glaciers. Rising sea levels. Destroyed coral reefs. All seem like complex issues that can’t be solved. How will you improve or contribute to this situation? The longstanding issues may seem overwhelming for those who are not sure about how to get involved in saving the environment.
There are young and active members in our community, however, who confront daunting fear by doing their part. Perry Samimy, a Senior at Ransom Everglades, makes the most of his role as a high school student living with the dangers of global destruction. He seizes the opportunity to change the typical standards of students involving themselves in the community by taking initiative.
What began as a way to get over his fear of bees, Samimy developed a tedious and effective system to harvest honey from his own backyard. Before diving into the project, the Ransom Senior educated himself on the process with a book on beekeeping. After much research, his beekeeping hobby and commitment to nature took off.
Samimy outlines: “The beehive is divided into two parts. There is the brood box, that has all of the eggs and larvae, and there are the honey boxes. The brood box is on the very bottom of the hive and the honey boxes are stacked on top (a large hive could have up to 2 brood boxes and 4 honey boxes.) Separating the brood from the honey is a queen excluder. This prevents the queen from laying eggs in the honey boxes. Within both the brood box and the honey box are ten wooden frames. The bees use this foundation to build comb. You can tell it is time to harvest when every frame within a honey box is sealed with wax. You then remove the box, harvest the honey, and put the box back on for the bees to refill – this usually takes several months depending on the season.”
Big responsibilities arise when fostering a hive, thus consistency is key. In order to succeed in honey harvesting, it is pivotal to “check the hive regularly and take care of pests.” Hive beetles seem to be a big nuisance in South Florida.
“They lay eggs in the dirt around the hive, and slowly make their way into the beehive,” says Samimy. “If left unchecked, they can take over even the strongest of hives. A great way to keep them under control is to spray pesticide around the beehive, and if necessary, there are beetle traps available on amazon.”
He checks the hive once every two weeks, his reason being that “the bees spend a lot of time and energy regulating the temperature in the hive, so checking on the hive too often can unnecessarily stress the bees out.”
After two attempts, Samimy has been able to sustain his current hive. Initially, he started out with a 50,000 bees and his hive has grown to about 500,000.
Bees are pivotal to sustain the planet. Bees are major pollinators, which lead to the production of fruit and allows plants to reproduce. It is crucial to consider the dying bee population and not undermine their importance in the environment. According to Earth Day Network, “many factors are influencing the decline of bees, including habitat fragmentation, increased use of neonicotinoid pesticides, colony collapse disorder, and climate change.”
“We have several fruit trees in our backyard and we have seen a substantial increase in production since we got our hive.”
The more bees, the more the surrounding ecosystem will thrive.
Ava Lederman is a 12th grade student at Coral Gables Senior High School
