My first podcast was about beekeeping. It brought this whole new world of bees for me to understand, learn about and meet the huge number of beekeepers in our community. Their dedication and love for beekeeping was so infectious. I learned that bees are smart, needed by our farmers, their product is beneficial for many reasons. What I recently learned was that there is a team of researchers that conduct annual survey of the health of bees across the state. It’s the United States National Survey of Honeybee Health. This survey inspects honeybee colonies for diseases, parasites and viruses. Researchers are testing 15 apiaries across the state of Alaska. Local farmer, Lisa Hay of the Happy Creek Farm is part of the survey. Lisa states that as number of farms increases, we need more bees. “farmers need bees”. Bees are credited in increasing food security, conservation and sustainability. The results of the survey help beekeepers become more knowledgeable about bees and better at taking care of their bees. For more details, contact Lisa Hay at Happy Creek Farm at happycreekfarmalaska.com The survey results can also be found at ushoneybeeheathsurvey.info