Early on the morning of Friday, May 20, 2022, about a quarter million new residents arrived at a level-5 security location with a special mission: pollinating the beautiful and historic St. Elizabeth's Campus, home of the Department of Homeland Security and the US Coast Guard!
Past MSBA President Kim Mehalick, and her husband (current BUMBA President) Mike, placed 4 colonies of their own in the new apiary onsite, with future. plans to include colonies run by DHS staff and visiting military members. This was the culmination of several months of planning and cross-club cooperation, and a banner day for the bees!
They worked with numerous government parties to craft access and deliverable requirements that work for the many thousands of people, as well as bees, who use this location everyday. The Mehalicks will also be involved in outreach onsite and will share the sweet harvest they expect there! Though the initial phase is limited to 4 colonies, it is hoped that military personnel who are stationed at St. E's will eventually have the opportunity to set up and manage colonies there.
This didn't happen overnight. DHS reached out to the DC Beekeepers Alliance, as the local beekeeping club, to begin planning the inclusion of bees, which took place with the support of the DHS Secretary's Office. DCBA was able to provide a number of assists: the club had previously set up apiaries at major public utilities and secure sites, and has signed memoranda of understanding with a number of government and community organizations that provided guidance and basis for discussion as the new apiary was planned. DCBA also invited DHS and General Services Administration staff to participate in its 2022 Beginners Course. The club was also able to advise on the proper permitting needed to move bees on comb into DC.
It was equally important to identify beekeepers with the requisite beekeeping, federal government, and organizational experience to manage such a multifaceted project...as well as enough colonies to spare! DCBA was proud to leverage it's ties to MSBA and BUMBA to help this project take root and then fly.
Kim mentions, "It was a long process, involving months of discussions and emails. It was fortunate that we had other institutional apiary projects with the local club that helped inform otherwise uncharted waters for both us and our host agency."
The St. Elizabeth Campus team was excited and motivated to help make this happen. The site has on-staff horticulture and environmental specialists interested in how the site can support both managed and native pollinators, as well as a proud historical preservation mission. Located just above the river and National Airport, the bees have access to acres of prime green space.
Since starting up, the Mehalick have had visitors continually pop up while working the bees, and the director of the campus actually presented them with a challenge coin and his sincere thanks for the project. One great sign from the bees? A nuc with a queen cell they brought onsite has successfully mated, raising a beautiful amber St. Elizabeth's native queen for the season ahead.
