By Haeley Huggard
MONTROSE – When we think of bees, there are two general reactions people have: either how cute they are, or how scary they are for people with allergies.
But many people are realizing that bees are essential to our ecosystem – pollinating plants, helping fruits and vegetables bloom and produce seeds, and producing honey.
Michigan honey farmer Cheri Persall has been a honey farmer and beekeeper, with her husband Chris Persall, for more than six years. Her husband has been in the bee business since the 1980s.
Cheri Persall says that bees are incredibly important to our ecosystem and without them, we will not have food.
“They are a big deal and a lot of people don’t realize that,” says Cheri Persall. “A lot of people are like ‘well, who needs bees anyway?’ Well, we all do because if we don’t have bees, we are not going to have food – we are not going to have human life.”
Though being a honey farmer is a hobby for the Persall family now, they plan to open a honey shop in the future with set business hours for all of their honey enthusiasts to stop in. The Persall honey farm sells honey and other honey-based products – hand sanitizer and lotions are some of their more popular items.
Cheri Persall stated that she never used to care about bees, but now she understands. She stresses their importance to our ecosystem to others.
Delta College’s sustainability program has been working to create a bee-friendly environment on campus. Bee boxes will be added to the campus trails once Delta’s main campus reopens.
Delta is the first college in Michigan to be a certified Bee Campus USA member. This means that Delta has committed to having areas on campus that are pollinator-friendly.
Delta’s facilities management coordinator Wendy Harness shared the importance of bees and their impact on our environment.
“Don’t be afraid of bees, and get knowledgeable about the things that they are beneficial for, like providing good food sources and helping beautify our environment,” says Harness. “Without bees and pollinators in general, we wouldn’t have any of those things. From the food to our natural environment, they are really important.”
To get more involved in making the bees feel more at home on Delta’s campus, you can email sustainability@delta.edu and become a member of the Pollinator Alliance Team.
