LIHUE, Hawaii — Kauai Community College’s Apiary Project is one of the last disease-free honey bee spots in the state of Hawaii, according to a University of Hawaii news release. 

What You Need To Know

  • The biggest threat to honeybees is the Varroa mite, a parasite that feeds on bee larvae and spreads diseases

  • The Varroa mite is on Oahu and Hawaii Island. Fortunately, it has not been found on Kauai, Maui, or Molokai

  • At the Apiary Project, volunteers breed queen bees in order to protect Kauai from Varroa mites

  • The queen bees are made available to Kauai beekeepers to lessen the change that someone will import a queen bee

Staff and volunteers at Apiary Project are breeding queen bees in an effort to continue to keep the island of Kauai free of honeybees' primary threat: the Varroa mite.   

Across the U.S., honeybee populations are declining. An annual report released in June by the nonprofit Bee Informed Partnership said last year beekeepers lost 48% of their managed colonies, the second-highest death rate on record.

The biggest threat to honeybees is the Varroa mite, a parasite that feeds on bee larvae and spreads diseases. The Varroa mite was first detected on Oahu in 2007, according to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture. The following year, the Varroa mite was discovered on Hawaii Island. Fortunately, the Varroa mite has not been found on Kauai, Maui, or Molokai. 

While it’s not known how the Varroa mite arrived on Oahu and Hawaii Island, it likely hitched a ride on live bees that were shipped along with beekeeping equipment. (It is illegal to ship live bees or used beekeeping equipment to Hawaii unless they have been certified by the HDOA.) 

At the Apiary Project, volunteers breed queen bees in order to protect Kauai from Varroa mites.

“One of our main reasons for being is to be able to raise queens here right on the island, to make them available to other Kauai beekeepers to lessen the chance that someone will import a queen bee,” said Alan Spencer, a volunteer and instructor.

Kauai Community College started the Apiary Project in 2010 and offers continuing education classes in beekeeping. The Apiary Project placed first in the Hawaiian Honey Challenge in 2018 and 2019.

“The long-term goal is to support beekeepers on Kauai, offer technical support and really educate the public,” said Francis Takahashi Jr, a retired electronics instructor and dedicated volunteer at the apiary. “Agriculture is really important on this island.”

Staff and volunteers have many ideas for future projects at the apiary. Academic Advisor Valerie Melle is hoping to restart the college’s application to the Department of Agriculture to export the Apiary Project’s bees. She is also working to partner with a local hotel that wants to start an onsite apiary with the help of Kauai CC. Another idea is to start an adopt-a-beehive program to generate more education and support. Interim Chancellor Margaret Sanchez said she plans to start a for-credit project so students may earn college credits and earn a certificate in beekeeping. 

“The overall hope is to expand our program and offer it to more people on Kauai, so that we can increase the health of the bees, the health of our farms and the health of our crops,” said Sanchez.

Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.