Activism

A Que and Delta Have Teamed Up To Turn Vacant Lots in Detroit into Urban Bee Farms

A brother of Omega Psi Phi and a soror of Delta Sigma Theta are on a mission to save the Detroit honey bee population by turning vacant lots into urban bee farms.

Timothy Paule, a 2005 initiate of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. at Wayne State University and Nicole Lindsey, a 2006 initiate of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. at Oakland University, have created a nonprofit called Detroit Hives with the mission to repurpose vacant land into urban bee farms for the community.

“This project not only helps eliminates blight within the city of Detroit, but also preserve the conservation of honey bees. Our project also serves as an educational hub where we provide tours and pollinator education for the community,” Paule told Watch The Yard in an email.

“Although most view vacant lots as a contributing factor to crime, mental health, physical injuries and an attractant to rodents, we have found a positive outcome for them. Vacant land is also an attractant to pollinators due to its untapped land, free from herbicides and pesticides. Pollinators, such as honey bees, butterflies and hummingbirds are visiting vacant lots filled with Michigan wild flowers. We in-return, place beehives and plant community gardens on these vacant properties whereby our bees can pollinate around chemical free land,” he said.

Along with working to save the bees, the non-profit also work to do outreach with the community and teach them about the importance of honeybees.

“We’re also educating the community on the difference between honeybees and wasps and how important honeybees are to our lives. Because without the honeybees we wouldn’t have our fruits, our vegetables, our beautiful flowers. We wouldn’t have the food and essential nutrients that we as humans need that honeybees provide us with,” Nicole Lindsey stated in an interview with The Detroit News.

According to the USDA, bees pollinate about 75% of fruits, nuts, and vegetables grown in the US and 1 in 3 bites of food we eat is derived from plants pollinated by bees. Keeping the bees alive, keeps us alive.

We at Watch The Yard would like to commend this brother of Omega Psi Phi and this soror of Delta Sigma Theta for doing what they are doing in their community. This is the kind of service that helps the entire world.