What’s the Buzz?

COURT HOUSE — There’s a humming in the air and the din reaches ears far beyond south Jersey. Wondrous things are happening at the Cape May County Zoo! Back in April, snow leopard cubs were born. On Aug. 29, a baby bison made his first appearance, and on Sept. 6, the zoo held a dedication ceremony for a new and buzz-worthy bee exhibit.
The ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the grand opening of the zoo’s honeybee exhibit was held inside the “World of Birds” aviary. It was preceded by several short yet proud speeches just outside the aviary doors. Cape May County Freeholder Director, Gerald Thornton spoke first. He told about a brief encounter he had with someone on a recent trip to CT. When asked where he was from, Thornton told the CT resident, “Cape May County, NJ.” The CT resident then excitedly replied, “Oh, that’s where you have the free zoo!”
Thornton went on to praise the zoo and the new bee exhibit, saying, “I just want to tell you how supportive we freeholders are of the zoo, but more importantly, how supportive the citizens of Cape May County are.”
Next to speak was Cape May County Freeholder, Marie Hayes. Hayes has “the supreme honor of overseeing the zoo. The Zoo is what Cape May County represents: family atmosphere. And when I was called to attend [the grand opening of the bee exhibit], I was more than happy to come. All I wanted to know was ‘will I be stung?’”
Hayes’ quip pokes fun at melissophophia, a fear of bees. The fear is one that New Jersey Apiarist, Tim Schuler, says is a common misconception about honeybees. “Honeybees get a bad wrap,” Schuler said. “Most people can’t differentiate between a honeybee and a wasp and a yellowjacket. Honeybees only sting when they are threatened, like if you get too near their hive or if you step on one barefoot—then you’re gonna get stung.” Otherwise, Schuler believes honeybees are gentle creatures. “My favorite part of this new exhibit,” Schuler confessed, “is the incredible number of people that will be educated.”
Doug Fisher, the N.J. Secretary of Agriculture followed Ms. Hayes at the podium. Fisher spoke of “a great resurgence of interest in bees across the county, state, and the world. We all love our local honey. And now we have a place where people can come to learn about the life cycle of the bee and how important they are to our society. How the queen acts; how far the bees forage for food; and why bees do what they do. It really is a fascinating story. Bees are just delightful creatures.”
Schuler who agreed that bees “not only pollinate food that we eat but also food that general wildlife consumes” echoed Fisher’s comment on how bees are important to our society.
Janet Katz, the president of the NJ Beekepers Association told the Herald that “this exhibit was actually moved from the Agricultural Museum at Rutgers, New Brunswick. When that closed, Tim [Schuler] mentioned they were trying to find a new home for it.” The NJ Beekepers Association is involved with incredible outreach and when the annual Earth Day meeting came up, they decided to bring the exhibit to the Cape May County Zoo.
Janeen Moore, senior bird keeper at the zoo is in charge of “anything that flies, bites or stings.” Moore said that the bees were “brought in to the zoo in July, two months after the construction and installation of the hive began. They are navigating the pipe real well.”
The pipe Moore refers to is a clear entrance/exit tunnel for the honeybees to pass from their confined area behind the exhibit into the hive itself (which is inside the aviary for zoo visitors to see).
Schuler, never hiding his excitement, spoke of a future addition to the exhibit. “Eventually, the zoo will add a Plexiglas box above the pipe where the zookeepers will be able to feed the bees syrup in front of the public.”
That should be sweet.