Arboretum to introduce honeybee observation hive

The Troy University Arboretum will soon be opening a honeybee observation hive in collaboration with Three’s Bees, a local beekeeping business. 

The hive will be open for observation to community members, K-12 students and Troy University students. It will feature both a walk-in bee observation area and resources for education about the way bee colonies operate and what they do for the environment. 

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“The goal is to provide a platform that we can bring people to and see for themselves that honeybees are very important and kind of get a better understanding of how a hive operates,” said Three’s Bees Owner Trey Ingram. “They can get a better understanding of what they do for our community and for our ecosystem.”  

The Director of the Arboretum, Dr. Alvin Diamond, said he also hopes to add an aspect of protection and preservation to the hive to inform the public about the importance of keeping honeybees safe. 

“Many pollinators are disappearing, and we depend on pollinators for most of the food that we eat so we’re going to put this [hive] in to kind of boost awareness of pollinators and their importance and the problems that they’re facing right now,” Diamond said. 

The most prominent threat to honeybees is pests and predators that kill and eat them. This factor is often uncontrollable by man, but has done major damage to the bee population. 

“They’ve really declined in numbers,” Diamond said. “Like 60-70% of the honeybees have disappeared over the last say 14 years.” 

 Another major danger to the honeybee population is pesticide use. In order to prevent the loss of the rest of the bee population, the Arboretum is planning on doing what they can to prevent it. 

“Probably the second-highest threat to the honeybees is the pesticides that we use on our plants, so we’re going to try to maintain a low pesticide use around here,” Ingram said. 

This decrease in population over time does not just negatively affect the honeybees themselves. It also impacts the environment and all the aspects of human life that depend on honeybees and their pollination. 

“Honeybees are keystone species, removing them would destabilize natural ecosystems and food systems alike,” said Arboretum Graduate Assistant Fisher Parrish. “They maintain biodiversity, support agriculture and provide products humans rely on.  

“Protecting them helps secure both environmental health and human well-being.” 

Construction has not yet begun but will start soon. The observation hive is set to be up and operational in March of 2026, right when bee season typically begins.