Baxter bee hive benefiting community plants, crops

BAXTER — When giving back to the community some volunteer at local nonprofit organizations, a few open up much needed businesses in town and others simply donate to a good cause. Jo Ellen Cross of Baxter, however, buys three pounds of honey bees.

The purpose of the purchase isn’t to feed the town with an endless supply of honey. Instead, it’s to better pollinate the area and advance the growth of nearby agriculture. Honey is just an added bonus.

“I could have about 60 pounds of honey when I go in there for the first time, but the funny thing is I don’t really use honey at all. I did this for pollinators,” Cross said.

Honey bees pollinate certain crops by transferring pollen from one plant to another. Even though the main crops in the area — corn and soybeans — are self pollinating plants, according to Cheryl Groom of the Prairie City Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, honey bees can greatly affect the production of other nearby crops such as potatoes, tomatoes, apples and alfalfa.

“Without pollination those kind of vegetables would not be able to produce,” Groom said. “So bees and other pollinating insects are critical to that.”

The Baxter resident began taking interest in pollination last year when she moved back to her hometown after spending nearly 40 years in Minneapolis. She graduated from a six-week Marshalltown Community College beekeeping class over the winter and received approval from the city council this spring to farm bees in her backyard.

Cross predicts she has invested close to $1,000 when factoring the purchase of the hive, clothing for when she enters the nest and the bees.

Three pounds of honey bees is equal to approximately 10,000 insects, but because the queen can lay up to 1,500 eggs per day, Cross predicts she now has about 60,000 to 80,000 in her hive.

The hive is in her backyard surrounded by a seven foot-fence to force the bees to fly up when leaving the nest. The bees can travel up to five miles from home, but are not a threat to anyone’s safety in town, Cross said.

“I just try to educate people on how gentle the bees can be. If you stay away from the hive you probably won’t be stung,” Cross said. “When they are away from a hive, they are very docile, because they’re not protecting anything like when they are near the hive. I learned the hard way.”

Cross has been stung twice, but both times were when she was examining the hive from close proximity. She can still walk within a few feet of the bees and not be stung, which she does just about every day, but if opening up the nest she now makes sure her beekeeper suit is on and her smoker filled with burlap is in her hand.

Cross first heard about pollinators in Minneapolis, where she said residents are encouraged to keep bees. Upon her return to her parents’ home after the passing of her mother last year, Cross has been studying up on the subject and admits she still has a lot to learn.

“I wanted to do something for my town when I came back, so I’m helping out with the food bank and pollinators sounded like the real smart thing to do because we are an agricultural community,” Cross said. “A lot of the food that we love, love, love is dependent on pollinators. Not just honey bees, but all kinds of pollinators.”

Contact Alex Olp at
aolp@jaspercountytribune.com