WRSI: They Keep Bees

WRSI, May 28, 2021.

“They Keep Bees raises resilient bees for our bioregion, and we also teach people about bees,” says owner, beekeeper, and educator Ang Roell on WRSI.

They sell bees and honey, and offer courses from quick “hive dives” to longer courses for beginner and intermediate bee keepers. Soon they’ll debut a special course on queen rearing.

They Keep Bees practices migratory bee keeping, running their operation here in Montague in the warmer months and in Florida in the winter. This practice is fairly common, says Ang. This trick is orchestrating the move itself between MA and FL.

“Our bee truck is a van with an AC unit and fan in back,” she says. “We pack about a hundred hives in there.” They drive for 12 hours, then let the bees out for a few days, then pack up and drive the next leg. The bees just think they’ve experienced a long cold night.

Sound crazy? Hear Ang tell it!