Free beehives for Virginia residents

I ran across this article in my facebook feed, and thought maybe some permies could make use of this program: Virginia residents can get free beehives

Backyard beekeepers can apply for hives through the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services on July 1. The General Assembly approved $125,000 for the Beehive Distribution Program that provides free beehive equipment to Virginia residents. Anyone age 18 or older can apply to receive up to three beehives. Recipients will be registered as beekeepers with VDACS and are required to maintain the hives in Virginia.

Link to the program: http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/plant-industry-services-beehive-distribution-program.shtml

I did it! Got 3 new hives! Woot!!!

This is totally rad! I hope North Carolina has or will create a program such as this.

Like so many things, this program has been impacted by COVID-19.  Here is the official word:

COVID-19 has created budget uncertainties for the 2020-21 fiscal year (July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021) and as a result, the Beehive Distribution Program will be deferred until adjustments to the state budget are determined. Beehive Distribution Program applications will not be accepted at this time. As information on the status of the Beehive Distribution Program becomes available, updates will be provided on this website and through the Agency’s social media.

Hopefully, this program will be up and running again next year.

This is madness. Here in europe we have issues keeping the wild bees and other pollinators alive, mostly because
of enviromental issues (Urbanization, pesticides) but also because what is left of nectar and pollen is consumed the ever increasing quantities
of honey bees.

So think twice before getting one of those whether the local wildlife which is often endangerous by extinction can still
forage suffiently.

Also keep in mind that many insects are specialized and very local while honeybees consume everything and fly big
distances on a daily basis.

I am not saying that you should not put up a beehive, but consider you local wildlife beforehand.
If you hace an overabundant food forrest it might be ok, but in an urban enviroment i would not recommend it.

RHan is that so? I’ve been wondering about exactly that. I wanted to get more beehives.
But if it endangers masonbees maybe not then. I try to encourage mason bees too. I have made a special wooden frame on the wall filled with a render they like to snoop of and use as a door to the cave they lay their larvae in.
Maybe it’s not my fault the people of this world decided to cut down all trees and monocrop everything.
Is there an article on this subject you wojld recommend?

Sure, here you go:

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2019.00060/full
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S016953471930117X
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213224415300158

The first article has a lot of references if you want to dig deeper.

And to quote a senctence from one of those (https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/7/4/69):

The potential negative impacts of non-native bees include competition with native bees for nesting sites or floral resources, pollination of invasive weeds, co-invasion with pathogens and parasites, genetic introgression, damage to buildings, affecting the pollination of native plant species, and changing the structure of native pollination networks.