Veterans harvest honey with beekeeping organization

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - Last year, South Dakota produced 18.4 million pounds of honey and was ranked the second state for honey production . Hives for Heroes was responsible for 110 of those pounds.

The non-profit organization got to work on Saturday to harvest honey for the year with hopes of improving numbers from last year. Unfortunately, with such a hot summer in the Black Hills area it was unlikely numbers would be matched.

"This year we had queen problems in the spring, and we didn't have any brood buildup and then again it's back to the heat, no nectar flow, they brought in some pollen but we just did not get the build-up of the brood that we should have this year. It's not just a local thing right here at the bee yard. It's all over. It just was a terrible year for bees," said Slim Buckley of Rapid City's Parks Division.

Buckley has his hives at home and said the problems occurred at his hives as well as the hives of others he knows.

This is the second year for the Hives for Heroes organization. The non-profit is nationwide and focuses on sustainability conservation. Mentors are paired with veterans to teach them the art of beekeeping. Brian Maschino is a beekeeper in Sturgis and oversees the Rapid City project.

The collection started at the hives located behind Rapid City's Parks Maintenance facility, the group suited up and got to work collecting the combs that held the honey. They then took what they collected indoors to keep the bees out. From there, they were able to extract the honey and bottle it up.

Aleta Leeknect has been working with bees for three months and said she began as a way to get out of the house during the day before her night shifts. She said that not only has she learned about the bees and what they do, but also about herself.

"I've learned a lot about how to control your own emotions, I guess. The bees really feed off of your energy, so I come into this really anxious a lot. I know beforehand I need to do that self-meditation aspect and calm myself down before I get closer to the bees so they can't pick up on that energy," Leeknect said.

Buckley said working with the program was just one way he could give back to the veterans and that without the help of donations from the city of Rapid City and members of the community, it would not be possible.