Sustainable Agriculture Project buzzing with bees

A group of students built and installed a new apiary at Grand Valley’s Sustainable Agriculture Project (SAP) in late April.

The apiary will house two honeybee hives that were raised at the university’s first apiary on the Meijer Campus in Holland.

Anne Marie Fauvel, affiliate professor of liberal studies, and the GVSU Bee Keepers Club brought the apiary to Holland two years ago. She said bringing one to Allendale aligns with the objectives of the Sustainable Agriculture Project.

“The apiary will allow students to continue to learn about sustainable agriculture practices and raise awareness about the importance of honeybees,” said Fauvel.

Fauvel has been conducting research on honeybees for several years. She and Jonathan Engelsma, associate professor of computing, are collaborating with Bee Informed Partnership to build a tool to connect honeybee keepers with researchers across the country. BIP is a national project that aims to decrease winter mortality of managed honeybee colonies.

Fauvel said the honey crop will be extracted from the hives in the fall and sold at the Grand Valley Farmers’ Market, where student volunteers at SAP also sell its produce. Honey from the Holland apiary is available for purchase in the Liberal Studies Office in Lake Ontario Hall.

The Sustainable Agriculture Project, located on Luce Street, is a collaboration between students, faculty and staff members to experience and learn about sustainable agriculture.