A new beehive installation is coming to the UMD campus next spring. The Helping Hives club at UMD will be installing two hives near the CUB Building, on Skyline Pkwy and Kirby Dr.

The pollinator-orientated club spent last year fundraising to be able to afford the new bees. One way they raised money was by making and selling beeswax wraps. These pieces of wax-coated fabric can be used to keep food fresh, replacing foil or plastic wrap. Additionally, the club applied for and received $1000 from the University of Minnesota’s Student Impact Award.

Helping Hives is now waiting for winter to pass before purchasing the bees and installing them in the hives. They plan on waiting until spring because it can be difficult to winterize bees here in Minnesota and they want to give the bees time to acclimate to their new home before putting them through such an ordeal.

Part of the reason for the bee’s location is to reduce the risk to bystanders of being stung.

“It's kind of not a super populated area,” Ella Stewart said. Stewart is the president of the club.

 We don't want to choose somewhere people are walking. There's one small trail that people take through the woods but it's not a super used trail.” 

The UMD Land Lab also has bees, but Violet Forster, the vice-president of Helping Hives, stressed that Helping Hives is trying to supplement Land Labs, not to compete.  

“It's collaborative,” Forster said. “We just want to create this to make the beekeeping system, overall, more accessible to everyone.”

The idea is that new students will have easier access to beehives that are located right on campus.

The bees will mostly provide research and educational opportunities for students.  The club is also hoping to sell the honey and use the wax for more wraps to help raise more money for the club.