WNC bee relief: Charlotte man is part of effort to help beekeepers caught in the path of Hurricane Helene

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — When the smoke clears in his backyard, Michael Entrekin learns to be a better human by simply watching nature.

“If I need motivation, I just go watch the bees and how much they’re always doing something,” he tells Queen City News.

Honeybees constantly work for the greater good.

“That’s a pretty nice Queen,” he said, showing us one of the million or so bees he nurtures locally.

Last September, Hurricane Helene washed out many queens and their colonies. In western North Carolina, an estimated 1,000 colonies were lost.

“All of the things that they would normally forage on were eliminated,” says Entrekin. “Trees, vegetation, all that stuff was wiped away.”

As the vice president of the Mecklenburg County Beekeepers Association, he follows the example of hive unity he sees every day.

“It’s easy for me to be motivated; that I’m not doing enough,” he said.

Bees pollinate about two out of every three bites of food we eat, so repopulating the honey bees is critical. So is helping your fellow man in the mountains.

In Fairview, NC, last Saturday, he delivered the latest donations to help bees and their keepers bounce back.

“Michael was part of a large, coordinated effort statewide,” said Mary Liske, president of Buncombe County Beekeepers Club.

“Of course, you guys can keep these boxes,” Entrekin says, with a load of six nucleus colonies, called “nucs” for short.

Two nuclear colonies went to Enka Candler Fire Chief Randy King. He was at work saving lives, so he couldn’t save his hives.

“I lost all of them during the hurricane,” King says. “Seven got washed down the creek, and the other three starved to death because I was tied up for 90 days without leaving the fire department.”

The distribution is part of the WNC Bee Relief Program. The North Carolina State Beekeepers Association turned to groups statewide to rally support.

Entrekin coordinated with Liske to give a lift to small honey farmers. They’ve given out 130 donated nucs so far in the mountains.

“Essentially, it was my role to be the bee wrangler, if you will, that would get folks to come up with colonies of bees to donate to the cause,” said Entrekin.

“While we were just trying to survive, and get power, and get food, and make sure our friends and family were okay, these other beekeepers across the state knew we were going to need support,” Liske says.

The hearty handshakes give us a glimpse of genuine appreciation after nearly a year of struggle.

Beekeeping helps King with PTSD.

“Thank you very much, I really appreciate it,” says King.

“Absolutely, I hope it works out,” said Entrekin.

“That part’s really rewarding and your heart goes out to them,” he told us.

“You see all of the emotions from these folks. From super happy, to crying and tearful, to where they just hug your neck,” Entrekin said.

Walker Overstreet is slowly rebuilding his small beekeeping business.

“Two years leading up to Helene, I finally decided what I wanted to be when I grew up, and that was a bee farmer,” Overstreet explained. “And then Helene comes and washes it all away. It was really tough because I knew what I had put into it and what it meant to me. But at the same time, people’s houses were floating down the river, and people themselves, and cars. So, I couldn’t wallow in it too much.”

The public is invited to hear Buncombe County Beekeepers Club members share their post-Helene experience at the next Mecklenburg County Beekeepers Association meeting on September 18 at Providence Baptist in Charlotte.

Walker also received two nucs Saturday.

“Never would have imagined the help that came to Western North Carolina,” Overstreet said. “Restores some hope in humanity.”

“Well, thank you very much, I cannot thank you enough,” he said, shaking hands after he loaded up his truck.

“No, absolutely, happy to do it,” Entrekin replied.

“I actually talked to one of the guys who received yesterday, he’s still living in his truck right now, so it’s been almost a year,” Liske recounted. “He said that was the only thing giving him hope and joy during that time. And he’s still struggling and still has hardships. But to have at least his bees was so rewarding.”

Recovery is a series of small victories and small boxes.

“I’ve kind of had the symbolism between the honey bee as a super organism, and they work together for the good of the colony, and that’s really what we all did,” said Liske.

“It was important for all of us to help those folks,” Entrekin says.

In November, the BCBC will host Bee School at Warren Wilson College, an interactive two-day course that introduces folks to the basics of beekeeping.