Busy as a bee

Bob Wagner was a salesman for much of his life, but when he moved to Alabama to be closer to his children, he started marching to a different beat.

He fell into this quest because of bad timing. He moved to Trussville in August about 10 years ago and bought property at the end of a dead-end street. One of the first things he wanted to do was grow a garden. Gardens need honeybees for pollination, so he started searching for a hive of his own. 

Local beekeepers told him it was too late to buy bees for the year; successful beekeepers start hives in the spring to give them a better chance of survival. 

Wagner didn’t let this news dampen his enthusiasm. He found a beekeeper living in Leeds who was willing to sell him a honeybee colony. There was only one problem: the hive was full of pests.

“I wanted to buy bees, not small hive beetles,” Wagner recalled telling the beekeeper, Hugh Feagle. The beekeeper told him it was normal for hives in August and gave him a detailed procedure for ridding the bugs from the bees.  

Wagner’s relationship with honeybees began to change. Instead of honeybees working to pollinate his crops, he worked to improve the chances of their survival.

“I work better when I’m mad,” Wagner said.

The old-fashioned way of ridding a hive of beetles sounded like a lot of work to Wagner, so he put on his inventor’s hat and started researching the problem.

He developed a device that fit into the bottom of beehives. Covering the device was a screen with holes large enough for the beetles to fall through, but too small for the bees. At the bottom was a pan filled with cooking oil. When the beetles fell into the oil, they died. 

“Within a couple days, all the small hive beetles were dead in the bottom of the hive,” Wagner said.

He thought his new invention would be a hit with other beekeepers, but that was not the case. “The old people don’t like to change old habits, especially when the changes are suggested by new people,” he said.

Wagner’s friendship with Feagle blossomed, however. Feagle understood the art of beekeeping and shared his insight with the newcomer. Wagner had a knack for developing new technology. 

Together, they worked on ridding hives of pests without using potentially harmful chemicals. 

One kind of devastating pest plaguing beekeepers is the varroa mite. Several years ago, these mites spread across the country at alarming rates and were one cause of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). This disorder resulted in honeybees dying or abandoning their hives.

When Wagner learned about the mites, he started doing research. He discovered a solar-powered thermal heater that warmed the hive enough to kill the mites but not enough to harm the bees. 

However, these heaters were expensive and not portable. One solar heater treated one hive. For someone who has 30 colonies, the cost of the solar heaters would be prohibitive.

Wagner put on his inventor’s cap again and started thinking about how to approach the varroa mite problem. He discussed his thoughts with Feagle, who told him it wasn’t possible. 

“I said, ‘Hugh, I’m buying all the parts, I’m going to put it together. So what do I need to make it work?’” Wagner said. His friend gave him a list of components that he would need to start testing. 

He ordered the parts off the internet, and they began working on the project in Feagle’s garage. 

“After about a month of burning up frames and other components, we came up with a working prototype,” he said. They called it the Victor — which treats varroa mites without chemicals. The device was portable, which meant a beekeeper could treat all his hives for the cost of one Victor. 

When they showed the device at a bee convention in Clanton, they weren’t sure how it would be received. Jim Tew, a retired entomologist who worked with bees, told the inventors someone would buy their invention. 

Tew was right.  

Wagner still has a few beehives near his warehouse, but the hives are for testing new inventions and doing promotional videos to show customers how the devices work.

Other products include beehive frames and components that are assembled with wood glue. This eliminates the need for nails and staples. Wagner said hardware weakens the wood in the components over time, and putting them together with wood glue makes them stronger than hives assembled with nails.

But why is the survival of bees so important? The Natural Resources Defense Council estimates at least 30 percent of the world’s food supplies and 90 percent of its wild plants depend on honeybees for pollination. 

Wagner worries that if bees disappear, food will get scarce. When people are hungry, they will do whatever it takes to feed their families. He fears people will go to war for food. 

“In a sense, I’m working toward world peace,” he said.

Problem-solving is something that comes natural to Wagner. “I’m an inventor by nature,” he said. 

Wagner’s first invention had nothing to do with bees. It was a childproof pool fence that allowed people to install a safety fence without drilling holes around the pool. He believes his pool safety fence has saved the lives of children. “This invention will be what I’m remembered for,” Wagner said.

But his work with honeybees will not go unnoticed. Here in Alabama, he’s found happiness working for world peace in his own way, by offering products that give honeybees a better chance to survive.

Wagner’s honeybee devices are available on his website, greenbeehives.com.