UR community rallies to rescue bee colony

September 24, 2018

Spider Pride

It’s obvious that we love sharing news about academic excellence and the rankings that we keep climbing (and, if not, sign up for the Spider Pride emails to get your weekly dose of all-things-UR!). What’s special about Richmond is that there is always something new that makes us proud to be Spiders.

Just last week, staff and faculty members came together to rescue tens of thousands of honeybees discovered in a downed tree on campus. Not only was their effort a continuation of the UR beekeeping program, but it’s also indicative of our community’s determination to go above and beyond.

“The tree was cracked open, and it was a catastrophic situation for the bee colony inside, which I estimate was about 70,000 bees based on the amount of honeycomb,” said Kirstin Berben, a campus beekeeper and our biology department’s laboratories manager. She worked swiftly with campus electrician David Rodriquez and landscape manager Karen Williams to relocate the bees, garnering attention from national news outlets, too. 

It’s stories like these — ones that involve that innate drive to make a difference — that truly make us proud.

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