Neal Embry
Bees at St. Stephens
Bees fly around at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Cahaba Heights. The church installed the bee hives to better understand the interaction between humans and the environment.
In an effort to better understand the natural world around them, the staff and congregation of Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Cahaba Heights have recently installed four beehives.
“We believe all of the created world is sacred,” Rev. John Burruss said. “The way we care for it is part of our Christian identity. We take that seriously here at Saint Stephen’s.”
The church, located at 3775 Crosshaven Drive, has a picturesque setting, with old trees and foliage lining the short driving path into the church. Instead of traditional stained-glass windows, the church has clear windows, which, Burruss said, leads those who work at and visit the church to “sit with” nature as it changes throughout the seasons and helps them understand the “natural process of life and death.”
The beehives are the latest step in the church’s plan of interacting with and learning from the environment.
In addition to building and studying the hives, the church’s other environmental projects include researching how its energy consumption is affecting the environment, preschoolers growing their own food in a garden and a grant from the Jefferson County Master Gardener’s Association to remove invasive species. In the past, Burruss said the church has created artwork from recycled glass taken from the Cahaba River during a cleanup day, to show that everything has the hope of redemption.
Honeybees, Burruss said, pollinate about 90 percent of wildflowers in Alabama and about 35 to 40 percent of food, so they play a crucial part in the life of Alabamians. The way the bees live in their hives is also a “beautiful picture of community,” Burruss said.
The bees all work together to achieve a common goal and the queen bee has one role: to create new life by laying a plethora of eggs, Burruss said.
The hives and the six-foot tall fence, required by the city of Vestavia Hills in the church’s permit to build the hives, were built in mid-May, bringing anywhere from 60,000 to 80,000 bees to the area depending on the season.
The church, Burruss said, has a guild of beekeepers, including Scott Cochran and Tom Robertshaw, who will take care of the bees and check on them every couple of weeks. The model dates back to the monastic period, about 500 years ago, when monks would keep beehives and study their buzzing inhabitants, Burruss said.
The church will offer opportunities to members to be involved with the project, with youth members building the supers, which collect the honey, Burruss said. The honey that is gathered could serve as gifts around the holiday season, he said.
The field where the hives sit is on the left as visitors drive into the church, and the six-foot tall fence leads bees to fly above those nearby. Honeybees are not a big risk for stinging visitors, as they die after one sting. The four hives sit on a structure built by the church, Burruss said.
The location is great for the bees, as there is a water source right behind the fence, Burruss said.
