- Brandon McKenney says caring for bees helped him cope with anxiety and PTSD after leaving the military.
- He’s teaching a beginner beekeeping class at Pebble Hill on June 28 to help others find calm and purpose.
- Watch the video to see how beekeeping can be therapeutic an what that beginner course includes.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
After years of serving in the Army, one veteran found healing in the hum of a beehive.
I'm taking a closer look at how beekeeping has helped Brandon ease his PTSD and anxiety — and how other neighbors can learn to care for bees and find peace too.
"I spent 17 years in the Army, and when I retired out of the Army, I was just kind of looking for something with a purpose. So I decided to get honeybees, and started off with one colony, realized that I really liked it, it helped with my PTSD and anxiety," said McKenney.
Brandon McKenney, who was an Army medic, says the shift to civilian life wasn't easy.
But there's something about the bees that calms him; from the steady routine to the sound of the hive.
"The smell of the hive, it's the buzz of the bees, there's scientists that have said that the buzz of the bees, whatever key it's in, I think it's the key of B flat or something like that, it really helps lower anxiety," said McKenney.
That peace turned into purpose and now Brandon wants to pass it on through a beekeeping course at Pebble Hill.
Kitty Spivey, Program Coordinator, says their 70-acre campus has incredible gardens, unique buildings, and historical structures, as well as 3,000 acres of forested lands that make it the perfect place for such a spring activity.
"From the longleaf pond ecosystem to the pollinator garden that we have here at Pebble Hill, bringing children and families out to our events gives them access to these resources that they may not have otherwise. And we are able to provide them a little bit of educational background on these resources, what makes them special, and how they're important to our community," said Spivey.
Spivey says she's noticed more people wanting to connect with nature, especially after the pandemic.
About 20 people have come to the beekeeping courses before, and Brandon's hoping more veterans will give it a try and maybe find a new purpose after getting out of the military.
"So we work with other veterans, and others that suffer from PTSD and anxiety, teaching them how to beekeep, getting them into the hive, giving them that experience of chaos in a calm environment, but also giving them a sense of purpose of something to take care of," said McKenney.
Mckenney tells me the course will include an introduction to beekeeping : what it is, how to get started, and what goes on inside the hive.
Thebeekeeping course is happening June 28th at Pebble Hill from 4 to 6 p.m.
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