The University of Texas at Dallas
IN-47: Innovation A

The UT Dallas Honey Helpers program is an initiative to promote sustainability and support honeybees on campus. The program focuses on student service and experiential learning while maintaining on-campus apiaries and engaging students, faculty, and staff in honeybee conservation efforts. The two on-campus apiaries are dedicated spaces where honeybees are kept in 20 hives. The program is ongoing and continuously growing with the addition of new hives to the apiaries each year. These apiaries serve as living laboratories for students and researchers to study honeybee behavior, ecology, and pollination patterns. They also provide an opportunity for hands-on learning experiences related to beekeeping, hive management, and honey production. Students participate in building the bee boxes, painting the boxes, introducing the bees, maintaining hives, harvesting and processing honey, bottling the honey and selling to our community to support student-led sustainability projects; most recently purchasing beekeeping veils that can accomodate religious head coverings and increase access to the program. The bottles of "Comet Honey" even feature student art that was selected from through a competetion. The Honey Helpers program aims to raise awareness about the importance of honeybees in our ecosystem and the threats they face, such as habitat loss and pesticides. By actively maintaining and caring for the apiaries, participants contribute to the well-being of honeybee colonies and help sustain their populations. The program offers various educational activities and workshops, where participants can learn about the life cycle of honeybees, the process of honey production, and the significance of pollination in supporting biodiversity. These activities also foster a sense of environmental stewardship and empower individuals to make sustainable choices in their daily lives. Additionally, the UT Dallas Honey Helpers program actively collaborates with faculty and researchers to exchange knowledge and contribute to broader conservation efforts.