Ep 11. Beehives
- February 13, 2021
Beehives, the eleventh episode of the seventh season of The Henry Ford's Innovation Nation, explores the fascinating world of bees and the innovative ways in which people are working to protect and study them.
The episode begins with a segment on the Bee Informed Partnership, a non-profit organization dedicated to researching and improving honey bee health. Host Mo Rocca interviews a member of the organization about the challenges facing beekeepers today and the ways in which the Bee Informed Partnership is working to help.
Next, Rocca visits the University of California, Davis, where researchers are using high-tech tools like RFID tags and computer vision to study the behavior of bees in the hive. With cameras mounted inside the hive, the researchers can track individual bees as they move about, gathering data on everything from food gathering to hive temperature.
In a third segment, Rocca meets with a group of young entrepreneurs who have developed a new type of beehive that is designed to be more sustainable and easier to maintain. The HiveGenie, as it's called, has been designed with a number of innovative features, such as a built-in ventilation system that keeps the hive cool in hot weather and a modular design that allows beekeepers to easily add or remove sections of the hive.
The episode also features a segment on the importance of pollinators and the ways in which individuals can create bee-friendly gardens in their own communities. Rocca interviews a master gardener and gets tips on which plants and flowers are best for attracting bees and other pollinators.
Finally, the episode concludes with a heartwarming story about a group of veterans who have found solace in beekeeping. Rocca visits BEE Mission, a non-profit organization that teaches veterans the art of beekeeping and provides them with a peaceful and therapeutic hobby. The veterans talk about the healing power of working with bees and the sense of community that they have found through beekeeping.
Overall, Beehives is a fascinating and inspiring episode of The Henry Ford's Innovation Nation, showcasing the many ways in which people are working to protect and understand these important pollinators.
