More than 80 inmates in Georgia prisons have become certified beekeepers through a program supported by the UGA Honey Bee Lab and the Georgia Beekeepers Association. Inmates at eight prisons, like Dooly State Prison in Unadilla (above), learn to tend bees and collect honey—and they become ambassadors for the threatened insects. “They become extremely compassionate and protective of these bees and these colonies,” says Jennifer Berry, manager for the Honey Bee Lab. “That is really important—they love something.”
This brief appeared in the spring 2019 issue of Research Magazine. The original story is available at https://sustainability.uga.edu/beekeeping-behind-bars-georgia-prison-beekeeping-program-teaches-inmates-how-to-care-for-honeybees/.
