GREENFIELD — With the 13th annual Bee Fest featuring painting projects, plant giveaways and children wearing yellow and black running around the front lawn of the Second Congregational Church, the city celebrated the Rev. Lorenzo Langstroth’s contribution to modern-day beekeeping on Saturday.
While Langstroth was experimenting with beehive setups in the 1850s, he discovered the ¼-inch that occurs naturally between honeycombs in beehives. He realized if he replicated this “bee space” and made a hive with movable frames, he could advance the world of beekeeping.
“It was sustainable and beautiful,” Bee Fest founder Sandy Thomas described.
In 1852, Langstroth patented his movable comb hive, and the design quickly took off across the country and the world.
“He became the father of modern-day beekeeping,” explained Art Canterbury, vice president of the Franklin County Beekeepers Association. “He made a huge impact on the entire world, and it all started in Greenfield.”
Today there are hundreds of people involved with the Franklin County Beekeepers Association, and many more apiaries across the county ranging in size from just one or two colonies to hundreds.
Representatives of Massachusetts Grown, a state organization that supports farms, educators and events that relate to agriculture, came to Bee Fest on Saturday. To promote local bee health, they distributed native pollinator plant seeds.
Starting 13 years ago as a small event with activities for children at the church, Bee Fest has grown to attract families across the region. Bee Fest, while fun in nature, is an educational tool to teach children to care for bees and other pollinators needed for the food system.
“It’s important for kids to care about honeybees because they begin to recognize all pollinators,” Canterbury explained. “What helps honeybees helps all pollinators.”
One new event offered at this year’s festival was a painting party to decorate 20 beehive boxes. Inspired by a Slovenian tradition of painting nativity scenes on hives, community members painted boxes to be given to local apiaries.
According to Thomas, bees often have trouble finding their own hive when they are lined up and all the same color. By painting the hives, this project helps bees find their homes, and gives residents an opportunity to let their creative juices flow by painting scenes inspired by the beloved insect.
“Now in the county we are doing so many things for pollinators,” Thomas said. “We have pollinator pathways, people not using pesticides and planting flowers. That was all because of his work. It was all Langstroth.”
Bella Levavi can be reached at 413-930-4579 or blevavi@recorder.com.