Honey bees at Indiana University

Earlier this summer, I had the opportunity take photos for an IU Communications project looking at a group of Indiana University students, faculty and Bloomington community members who have dedicated themselves to fighting the ongoing demise of honey bees. To shoot this project, I had to get out of my comfort zone and confront a personal fear: I’m terrified of bees. This undoubtedly comes from being stung a few times as a small child. After a few shoots near hives, I tackled my fear and learned a lot about bees and the important work they do for nature in the process. For the past decade, “colony collapse disorder” has plagued bees and puzzled beekeepers who are unable to yet pinpoint a cause for this phenomenon of dying bee colonies. Here in Indiana last year, the total colony loss was 49 percent. For more on how the IU community is researching the plight of the honey bee, I recommend reading Keepers of the bees.