Cory Stevens works to breed better bees
STORY AND PHOTOS by Jim McCarty
At first glance the bees Cory Stevens keeps seem like any others buzzing around hives across Missouri. But look closer — much closer — and you’ll find these bees are different. Their genetics hold the key to saving these pollinators that are so important to our food supply.
Cory is raising bees with traits that give them an edge against their worst enemy, the Varroa mite. These unwelcome guests kill bees by feeding on the larva in brood cells or by introducing diseases into the colonies that weaken the bees, eventually leading to the death of the entire hive. The mites are one reason bee colonies have declined worldwide.
A Better Way to Fight
Miticides can be used to treat hives, but their application must be carefully timed to avoid contaminating the honey. Fortunately, scientists at USDA found a natural way to fight the parasites through selective breeding.
And that’s been Cory’s focus for most of the 15 years he’s raised bees at Stevens Bee Co. along Crowley’s Ridge near Bloomfield. While most beekeepers raise bees for the honey, he’s working to breed better bees.
“It’s not genetic engineering or anything,” explains the SEMO Electric Cooperative member. “It’s just something nature already put in their genome. Scientists discovered it and taught us how to measure it. Then we use technology like instrumental insemination to concentrate it.”
It’s similar to how a rancher with a prize bull improves their herd — only on a tiny scale.
Cory got his start as a beekeeper after his dad and brother bought a few hives, only to realize a great truth about beekeeping: “They figured out it was a lot of work. It’s hot and you get stung. And the profit can be minimal at times,” Cory says.
He took over the hives and slowly started adding to his apiary “as the addiction took hold.” That’s when the problems started showing up. At meetings of the Missouri Beekeepers Association, the talk always turned to mites.
“Whenever I first started going to the meetings, it was kind of like a ‘Varroa Anonymous’ meeting,” Cory recalls. “We would share our woes about mites and controlling mites, more than the love of the bees almost. It was such a pronounced issue, and I started kind of obsessing over it and researching traits that would give them an edge. One thing led to another. I just kind of got fixated on that, you know, looking at long-term solutions. Not that I don’t like making honey and having good-looking bees.”
In spring you’ll find Cory and his helpers opening the hives scattered around his 30 acres. They are checking for colonies with few mites or with mites that have been attacked by the bees. Their recordkeeping, all done electronically, allows them to track bee bloodlines for future reference and research.
“You’ll go through 100 or 200 pupae and all you’ll find is maybe one female mite that can’t reproduce and it’s the bees that are doing that,” Cory says. “It’s a lot of work and it’s tedious, but the long-term repercussions for beekeepers and for pollination is massive, because if people buy these queens that have been selected for this they don’t die as easily. They’re not eaten up with viruses and mites, so they’re far more productive.”
Protect the Colony
Using microscopes, tiny glass pipettes, tweezers and good eyesight, Cory breeds queen bees with the genetics for “hygenic behavior.” In other words, their offspring will remove and kill mites, protecting the colony. And their daughter queens will continue passing these helpful traits down the line.
These bees’ offspring can go about their business of pollinating and making honey unharmed by the diseases Varroa destructor unleashes.
Cory’s early strategy when he spotted a weak colony was to replace the old queen with a daughter from a breeder queen he purchased from another bee breeder. This was right after he learned how to raise his own queens.
His eventual success at breeding better bees led to invitations to work with two legends in bee research. In one study he used stress pheromones from bees exposed to mites. This was sprayed on a hive frame and then checked to see the bees’ reaction. Bees that started uncapping nests in search of intruders were scored high for mite resistance.
Cory’s scores in the study were off the charts. Obviously, he was on to something with his selective breeding techniques. He put all of his efforts behind improving the strain, working with both parents. This time-consuming and innovative research was done while he worked full time at Nestle Purina.
The business has grown to the point that this past spring he was able to step away from his day job, hire some help and greatly expand the business. He now has around 250 bee hives and typically sells 3,000 queens annually, shipping them to all 48 of the continental U.S. states.
He’s also become one of the rock stars of bee breeding. He shares his research with beekeepers through frequent online and in-person presentations all across the U.S. and added Denmark to his list this past fall.
With better genetics, his bees are strong honey producers. Currently he only sells his wildflower honey locally, but that likely will have to change, considering one hive might have more than 60,000 bees in it. His hives are untreated, so there are no chemicals in his honey.
His business is buzzing, but Cory works hard not to let it overwhelm him. “I love it, you know,” he says. “It can get a little bit stressful, but if you step back and look around a little bit, things are pretty good. I try to take a minute and pay attention to the bees buzzing, the birds singing and just appreciate the fact that this is my day job now and be thankful for that. And then I’m just in a better mood.”
Power of Bees
His reward comes from the fact that he is helping ensure there are enough pollinators around to keep the supply of food coming.
Without bees “we don’t eat near as well,” Cory says. “I mean, you would still have rice and corn. But coffee, cucumbers, melons, blackberries, blueberries, citrus fruits — all of that stuff is insect pollinated. We would probably survive, but our diets would be pretty dull.”
Beekeeping isn’t for everyone, he readily admits, but there are things everyone can do to help the cause, such as adding bee habitat to your yard. “If you’re not interested in keeping bees, plant some flowers. You’ll have some bees show up, help keep them fed and keep them pollinating.”
You can contact Stevens Bee Co. through www.stevensbeeco.com or follow his work on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.
Email Jim McCarty at jmccarty@ruralmissouri.coop.