Weston Agricultural Commission Opens Public Forum Series With Beekeeping Presentation

WESTON — March 23, 2022 — Weston Agricultural Commission launched a public education series with a honeybee presentation by Drumlin Farm beekeeper Mel Gadd. Commission Chair Kent Lundberg opened what he described as the first in a planned series of agricultural forums, held online under the state's pandemic Open Meeting Law extension. Gadd, Mass Audubon's beekeeper and 2017 Massachusetts Beekeeper of the Year, told attendees that expanding hive management at Drumlin Farm in Lincoln correlates with approximately a 20 percent increase in farm output, and warned that industry-wide hive losses last year reached roughly 40 percent, driven by Varroa mites, pesticides, and climate change. He estimated startup costs for a new beekeeper at between $400 and $500, noting that most Massachusetts suppliers sell out of bee packages by late March or early April.