By Brooke Baker, Undergraduate Student, Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health, School for Public Health, UW Farm Beekeeping Intern
The University of Washington has supported beekeeping activities for many years, using bees to incorporate hands-on experiences in classes and enrich student learning experiences. But it hasn’t necessarily been the smoothest ride for the bees, due to a staffing turnover and lack of enduring student leadership to advocate for their importance.
Until 2016, the bees were kept on Main Campus. They were relocated to the UW Botanic Gardens’ Apiary at the Center for Urban Horticulture due to the construction of the Life Sciences Building. The same year, the Bee Club, a registered student organization (RSO), applied for a CSF grant and received a small amount of funding to purchase hives and supplies for an “Apiary for the UW Farm”. In 2017, the club sold honey to raise funds for maintaining the hives and the program.
An additional challenge the bees currently face is an increasingly common one; the presence of a parasitic pest known as Veroa Destructor or varroa mite, a known parasite of the western honey bee. These are present in the UW Farm hives, but new research is offering some potential solutions.
In 2021, due to a windfall of donated equipment and student interest, UW Farm Manager Perry Acworth realized there was an opportunity to re-start the beekeeping program. After reaching out to friend and UW Farm CSA shareholder, Kurt Sahl, the two began discussing how to begin again. Kurt began the process of working with UW Botanic Gardens staff to arrange a space for the on-campus Apiary. 2024 marks the second year the hives have been managed by Kurt and the first year that students have been involved as beekeepers since 2017.
The current Beekeeping mentors:
Kurt Sahl, a recently retired former program manager from UW’s Continuum College, and long time beekeeper.
Dan Cook, a UW Farm volunteer, beekeeper and urban farmer in the Ballard neighborhood
Blythe Harrington, Contract Analyst, Supply Chain with UW Medicine
Over the last few months, I have learned so much about bees and their care. During Winter, we primarily focused on building up my background of knowledge and making sure the bees had enough food to make it through the colder months. As it’s warming up, the apiary (located behind the Douglas Research Center at CUH) has been a buzz of fresh activity.
Recently, the hives were “split,” in our endeavor to expand and grow the Farm’s bee population. Splitting hives is a natural form of swarm control and prevents the queen and half of the colony from leaving to find a new home. We began with two hives, and placed half of each colony into a new hive along with a queen. Two kept the original queens, and two hives had new queens introduced. There is a chance that bees will reject an introduced queen, but in the last week we have happily confirmed that both new queens were accepted! As we continue to head into warmer months, the colonies will have no shortage of work to keep them busy. We will continue to monitor their health and hope to see the prosperity of four strong hives this year!
I feel incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to interact with and care for such amazing creatures. Kurt and Dan have been amazing mentors, never short on beekeeping humor and new research materials. It has also been wonderful to work with Ella Ella Gostisha (my co-intern) again, as we both worked on the Green Square Garden project in 2023. Ella has will continue to bee involved all summer but on a limited basis. The UW Farm is currently looking for more student Beekeeping Interns.
Most of all, I must thank the bees for tolerating our disturbances of their work and for all they have taught us. While my official time with the bees is quickly drawing to a close, I hope to see them thrive and hope that my work contributes to enduring student involvement.
To stay caught up with the latest buzz, follow our Instagram @uw_bees!
Recipe of the Week:
Udon Noodle Stir Fry With Pac Choy, Mushrooms, and Leeks
By Zereen Gesmundo, UW Farm Nutrition Education Intern
Image Source: Zereen Gesmundo
This Udon Noodle Stir Fry is one of my go-to weeknight recipes, as it’s simple, easy, and most importantly; delicious! Another bonus is that you can easily add or substitute vegetables and toppings to give your noodle dish volume and variety, no matter how often you prepare it.
Ingredients
Noodles:
2 packets Instant Udon Noodles (total 13 oz)
Sauce:
2.5 tbsp chili oil
2.5 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
2.5 tbsp soy sauce
2.5 tbsp sugar
2.5 tsp sesame seeds
2.5 tbsp sesame oil
2.5 tbsp reserved noodle water
Stir-Frying
2.5 tbsp sesame oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium sized leeks, rinsed and sliced
3 small pac choy
5 oz. mushrooms of choice, sliced
Vegan Meat alternative (optional)
2.5 tbsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Noodles:
Soak instant udon noodles in hot water for a few minutes.
To keep the noodles from sticking together, soak the noodles in cold water.
Sauce:
Prepare sauce by mixing chili oil, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, sesame seeds, sesame oil, reserved noodle water together in a small bowl.
Stir-Frying:
Add 1 tbsp sesame oil to the pan. Over medium heat, sauté the minced garlic.
Add chopped leeks to the pan. (Reserve some for garnish). Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add pac choy, sauté until wilted, about 6 minutes.
Add mushrooms, stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until tender.
Add noodles and sauce, mix well.
Leave to cook over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. If needed, add some water. (about 1-2 tbsp).
Taste test and feel free to season with salt or other spices if desired. Once the noodles are cooked to your liking, turn off the heat.
Garnish with reserved chopped leeks and sesame seeds. Serve and enjoy!
The UW Farm donates regularly to the UW Food Pantry. During peak season we also donate to nearby food banks. The links below are resources to help you or someone you know with food access.
Every year, we have the capacity to grow more food and increase our educational and research program at the UW, but not without your support. Every contribution goes to work immediately, helping us better serve students. Your support can sustain our momentum and help seed new opportunities for student internships, academic work, and future growth. Please consider making a gift to the Farm online
The Weekly Dirt is produced once a week by the University of Washington Farm, a program of the UW Botanic Gardens, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, College of the Environment. It is published nearly year-round for educational purposes and the majority of the content is written or contributed by students and farm staff.
This issue’s contributors:
Managing Editor: Siffre Tooth, UW Farm Food Security Lead ’23-24
Around the Farm: Brooke Baker, UW Farm Beekeeping Intern, Undergraduate Student, Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health Recipe of the Week: Zereen Gesmundo, Nutrition Education Intern, Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health, Art Contributing Editors: Perry Acworth, Farm Manager; Siffre Tooth, UW Farm Food Security Lead ’23-24 Photo Credits: Perry Acworth. Other photos retrieved from the internet and noted in sections
had enough food to make it through the colder months. As it’s warming up, the apiary (located behind the Douglas Research Center at CUH) has been a buzz of fresh activity.
the colonies will have no shortage of work to keep them busy. We will continue to monitor their health and hope to see the prosperity of four strong hives this year! 
