Drought and heat wave pose threat to Ohio Valley honey bee populations

OHIO COUNTY, W.Va. (WTRF) — In this drought and heat wave, another population is suffering that we may never think about–honey bees.

At the Blended Homestead in Ohio County, owner Eric Blend says he’s been farming for eight years and has never seen the land this dry.

He says there are cracks in the earth, and he must water his crops twice daily.
He also says his honey bees are being affected.

Our honey bees fly two miles in any direction to get nectar. And the difficult thing is even in two miles, there are no trees or plants that are producing pollen and nectar really right now for our honey bees so we’ve had to actually feed our honey bees as well.”

Eric Blend, The Blended Homestead, Ohio County

He reminds other beekeepers that it’s important to feed their bees at this time of year so they can be healthy for winter.

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