Beth Conrey has always been a bit “buggy.” She collected insects as a child for 4H projects in both Maryland and New Mexico and her collection still hangs in her front hallway. She has been beekeeping for over 20 years, starting with just 2 hives, and found herself fascinated. She now has 125 hives in various locations in Weld, Larimer and Boulder counties.

She says she’s astounded by the differences in the pollens being collected by different hives and different bees within the hive at various times throughout the production season. Where do they find it? What is blooming that they have so much in their little pollen baskets that they can barely fly? How do they “spread the word”? It is no wonder that the honeybee, Apis mellifera, is the single most well studied beneficial species on the planet.