Birches resident maintains lifelong love of beekeeping

At one point in his life, Birches Assisted Living resident Bill Buckley maintained over 30 beehives throughout Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.

Today, Buckley only lends a hand at three beehives-the three hives recently acquired by The Birches Assisted Living-but he still retains a passion for the art of beekeeping, and enjoys reminiscing about the more than 40 years he spent doing it.

Buckley began keeping his own beehives in 1972 after his daughter gave him beekeeping gear for Father's Day. His first experience with beekeeping, however, occurred many years earlier, during World War II, when an elderly neighbor asked him to help harvest the honey from his backyard hive.

"Our neighbor's son got drafted. Our neighbor was in his 70s and his son always helped him harvest honey. So he gave me the veil and the gloves and everything, and I helped him harvest his honey," said Buckley.

Soon after this introduction to beekeeping, Buckley joined the Navy. Over 20 years later, however, he would find himself donning a beekeeping veil once again. In 1972, Buckley was working as a mechanic for Shell Oil when he learned that one of his co-workers was a beekeeper. When this particular co-worker invited Buckley over to his house to see his hives, Buckley jumped at the chance. This trip in combination with the Father's Day gift from his daughter reignited Buckley's interest in beekeeping, resulting in a hobby that spanned several decades.

At first, Buckley's wife Dottie was not crazy about his new hobby. Like many people, she thought beekeeping was dangerous, but Buckley soon taught her that she had no reason to fear these highly social and surprisingly unaggressive insects.

"I had to go get a book from the library and give her a good education about bees," said Buckley. "Most people think that anything that has wings and hurts you is a bee. They don't know that a bee can only sting you once, which is the reason they're not aggressive. On a day like today, I could go out and take The Birches' hive apart with no veil, no gloves, nothing. Because all they want right now is to get out and get nectar."

Buckley made it his life's work to clear up people's misconceptions about bees. Consequently, his advocacy for bees earned him a reputation as one of the most knowledgeable and sought after beekeepers in the Chicagoland area. At the height of his beekeeping, Buckley received calls four to five times a week from people who needed help with their hives. He was also the beekeeping expert recommended to people by the Morton Arboretum and KIine Creek Farm.

Furthermore, Buckley took on leadership roles in local beekeeping organizations, acting as the president of the Illinois State Beekeepers Association and the Cook-DuPage Beekeepers Association, and delivered beekeeping presentations at schools, churches and fairs. Buckley also sold his honey at local churches, fairs and even at the Morton Arboretum.

This past spring, The Birches acquired its own beehives, largely due to Buckley's influence. There are many benefits to having hives, the most obvious of which being fresh honey, but bees also play an important role in the pollination and fertilization of plants- a benefit which has become especially important in the wake of colony collapse disorder (CCD). Colony collapse disorder is a phenomenon in which worker bees disappear, leaving only the queen and a few nurse bees to maintain the hive. Buckley feels that beekeepers play an essential role in warding off this relatively new threat to bees. As a member of many regional beekeeping associations, Buckley has been lobbying for over ten years to reduce the use of certain pesticides that have been linked to CCD.

But the seriousness of colony collapse disorder aside, Buckley believes more people should try beekeeping for an extremely simple reason: it's a fun hobby that reaps sweet, sweet rewards.

The Birches Assisted Living in Clarendon Hills is a premier retirement community dedicated to providing professional services that support its residents' physical, social, intellectual and spiritual growth. The Birches offers a full calendar of purposeful programs and activities designed to promote a healthy aging lifestyle and a strong sense of community. For more information about The Birches, call 630-789-1135 or visit: birches.net.