Across the 800 or so acres of UCF’s natural lands, the bees are not only buzzing in the trees, but also in four official beehives and a half-hive “nucleus” managed by the UCF Arboretum and Sustainability Initiatives.

There used to be more beehives on the east side of the arboretum’s natural lands. Those areas comprise a variety of ecosystems — scrubby and wet flatwoods, and dome and strand swamps — that are unique and protected from development but not from the area’s natural predators.

One of those predators, the Florida black bear, wreaked havoc on a beehive there in 2023.

The marauding animal likely took advantage of the natural habitat with its lack of people, lighting and machinery, and was just doing what bears do, says Jennifer Elliott ’04 ’09MS, director of the UCF Arboretum and Sustainability Initiatives.

Plus, she says, a black bear’s sense of smell can easily be measured in miles.

“I have no doubt that every olfactory nerve in her brain was alerted to an ample supply of fresh honey and yummy insect larvae in the hive,” Elliott says. “She knew exactly where she was going, and what she was going to do.”

Elliott believes the hungry bear was a female; a bear has been spotted in the area, sometimes with cubs in tow, over the past several years. Perhaps, Elliott says, the mama bear was teaching her cubs about a great food source.

In the aftermath of the feeding frenzy lay splintered wood, spilled honey, thousands of honeybee carcasses and hexagons of protective beeswax containing remnants of future honeybees.

The total loss of the honeybees was devastating, says Amanda Craig ’24, junior mentor and beekeeper for the Arboretum.

Want to support the Knight bees? Make a gift to the UCF Arboretum and Sustainability Initiatives. Want to increase your impact? Join us on Thursday, April 10 on UCF Day of Giving and swarm the day with gifts for our pollinating friends.

As a beekeeper, Craig is responsible for inspecting each hive and checking the frames to determine what the bees are doing.

“An inspection reveals a lot about what the bees are up to, including population sizes, if they are thinking about swarming and their general health,” Craig says.

Craig, along with volunteers from the Arboretum Beekeepers Club, a UCF-registered student organization, also assists with honey production each June. Last year, UCF honeybees produced about 50 pounds of the amber liquid. Bottles are sold to the community, and the money raised goes back into the Arboretum and Sustainability Initiatives fund.

In addition to providing the community with honey, bees, along with UCF moths, bats, butterflies and other insects, are also a critical component of educating and feeding UCF students.

The Arboretum’s Learning by Leading program maintains a community farm and garden, which provide fresh fruits and vegetables to students in need through Knight’s Pantry.

This, along with all of the Arboretum’s programs, are creating a buzz.

The Arboretum has received national recognition for its efforts to support healthy bee activity. In 2018, UCF was the first school in Florida to be named a Bee Campus USA. The honor signals that UCF actively addresses the plight of pollinators through operations, educational programs and community engagement.

Even after earning that special designation, Elliott says she still has a long wish list of enhancements that she would like to see for the Arboretum. In the short term, they need a bigger office space, increased community volunteers and, of course, the apiary to replace the one that the bear destroyed.

“Wouldn’t it be great to have educational apiaries across our campus, integrated into existing buildings where our Knights can safely observe our wonderful honeybees, while also keeping the bees safe from the occasional hungry bears with whom we also share our beautiful natural lands?” she says.

Help UCF’s honeybees and other pollinators by making a gift on UCF Day of Giving, which is April 10.