How A Chance Meeting Helped Texas Become the Nation’s Top Beekeeping State
Molly Keck, an entomologist at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, shares invaluable insights with aspiring beekeepers in San Antonio, addressing challenges from pollen-patty-eating beetles to the effect of overcast weather on bee behavior. Their enthusiasm reflects a statewide surge in beekeeping sparked by a 2012 Texas law granting property tax cuts to landowners who keep bees, underscoring the vital role these tiny pollinators play in agricultural ecosystems and the innovative solutions emerging in the beekeeping community. Despite facing hurdles like disease management and habitat loss, the beekeeping boom offers hope, bolstered by dedicated professionals like Gary Barber, whose tireless efforts to maintain hives across the state are supported by the transformative policy change.
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