At the Bonduelle USA Inc. plant on Stevens Street in Oakfield, the produce of local farmers is processed and shipped frozen in totes weighing 1,500 pounds to cold storages throughout the nation.
While making sure Americans get their vegetables is the worldwide company’s primary focus, embracing the concept of “corporate social responsibility” also plays a vital part in Bonduelle’s philosophy.
That’s where the company’s beekeeping project, which has been restarted after being placed on hold due to COVID-19, comes in.
Steve Buerman, Bonduelle’s New York State Regional Engineer, initiated the program – building it on his experiences growing up on an apple farm in Wayne County that featured 35 beehives.
“Honeybees are critical for the pollination of more than 100 varieties of fruits and vegetables in the United States, creating an agricultural value of 20 billion dollars annually,” he said. “We identified that honeybees could use our help and the beekeeping project was started.”
Buerman said about 15 plant employees are working with the bees, which currently populate two hives, with about 20,000 bees – the queen, of course, along with worker bees and drones – in each hive.
“This is being done for educational purposes,” said Pascal Leduc, director of U.S. Operations. “Our company has a strong vested interest in the environment and the communities in which serve. Employees are encouraged to find ways to help the environment and develop action plans.”
Employees with backgrounds in horticulture and fruit farming, such as Buerman, are teaching others the basics of beekeeping – exposing them firsthand (while sufficiently protected) to honeybees – and encouraging them to start their own backyard beekeeping projects.
Plant Manager Eric Phelps said about 10 to 12 employees participated in 2019 and several started their own hives.
“Bees are vital,” he said. “We’re pleased to report that we’ve acquired two new swarms of bees and have installed them into their new hives. We expect the bees to be busy pollinating throughout the summer and, hopefully, making some honey, too.”
Buerman added that bees need “everyone’s help.”
“The advancement of monoculture agriculture, elimination of honeybee habitats and new pests and diseases have cut deeply into the bee population,” he advised. “Really, it’s a fun project which teaches people about bees and their importance. Our daily diet would be very boring without the fruits and vegetables that bees make possible.”
Bonduelle originated in France about 175 years ago and now has 56 plants around the globe, including 11 in the United States and nine in Canada. For more information, go to www.bonduelle.com.
Top photo: Bonduelle employees, upon receiving the nucleus colonies of bees, transfer the frames of honey, pollen, eggs and bees from the delivery boxes to their permanent hives.
Middle photo: Handlers gently puff smoke on the bees to keep them calm during the transfer.
Bottom photo: The transfer is complete, enabling workers to adjust the hive covers and install hive front feeders to provide the bees with food until they become settled in their hives.
Submitted photos.
