FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 22, 2013
Contact:
Eric Wiener, professor
or
Kristen Andrada, student
Beekeeping
Comes to Ramapo College
Mahwah,
NJ—Lynn Paglia, a beekeeper from the Northeast
Chapter of the New Jersey Beekeepers Association, talked about bees and
beekeeping on Monday afternoon at Ramapo
College. The presentation
took place on the grass behind the Sharp
Sustainability Center.
Those in
attendance saw the honey bees working on their hives. Some even put on veils
and beesuits and were up-close and personal to the bees. The hives are top-hive
feeders and the bees use sugar water as their main source of feed. The
honey-making process takes about two years, going from wax combs to luscious
honey. The honey and pollen are kept close to the baby bees for easy feeding
and less movement among the hive.
The beehives have
been at Ramapo since the fall of 2011. The Sustainability Center
has been a part of Ramapo’s campus since the fall of 2009. Its concept is to
demonstrate the best use of being green, by taking advantage of its
orientation, natural light and ventilation, using recycled and
environmentally-friendly materials, reducing water consumption through fixture
choice and collection of rainwater for irrigation, providing heating and
cooling via a geothermal system and many other practices.
The Center is
available to all students and faculty who register for an
environmentally-friendly class. For example, the Appropriate Technology course
will use the facility as a locus for design, experimentation, and
demonstration. The Ecological Agriculture course will use the gardens and greenhouse
to develop competency in sustainable agriculture.
Professor Eric Wiener
talked about starting a beekeeping club on campus, hopefully in effect by the upcoming
fall semester. Training to handle the hives and bees will be taking place
Tuesday, April 30 from 4-5 pm and Friday, May 3 from 10-11 am. Those interested
should contact Professor Wiener or student ambassador Kristen Andrada.
-- Bill Pivetz
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