(Report a wild bee colony HERE)

About This Project

Old Walls, Hollow Trees, and Wild Bees is a community-driven driven project dedicated to learning more about how feral honeybee colonies live alongside us here in the Tennessee Valley. Honeybees play a vital role in supporting pollination and healthy ecosystems, and wild, unmanaged colonies contribute to the genetic diversity and resilience of bee populations

Very little is known about how feral honeybees use cities, towns, and neighborhoods as their home. Are buildings the new trees? That’s what this project is all about: mapping where feral honeybee colonies are living in both the built environment and in natural tree cavities, right here in our own community.

Why It Matters

Genetic diversity. These feral colonies are mating with backyard beekeepers hives. The long-term adaptability of the honeybee rests to a great extent on the conservation of genetic diversity within the species *The Hive and the Honey Bee* What does this do for beekeepers and people that like eating? It assures us of local “survivor stock”, or bees that have overwintered for at least two years without any human intervention.

High levels of genetic diversity are related to:

• Lower disease intensity
• Increased disease resistance
• Lower disease infection
• Greater workforce productivity
• Increased colony survivorship
• Improved thermoregulation

It can also save beekeepers some money!

1. Fewer Colony Losses = fewer replacement costs

2. Reduced Need for Treatments-genetically resilent bees

3. Lower Queen Replacement Frequency-longer living, productive queens

4. More Sustainable Splitting and Colony Growth-healthy colonies ready to split

5. Better Adaptation to Local Conditions-less overall intervention

6. Fewer Labor Hours and Equipment Losses-healthier colonies=less dead outs

Why I Need Your Help

Many feral colonies are hidden in places only local people know about—inside old walls, hollow trees, abandoned buildings, or tucked under rooflines. I’m asking for your help to report these colonies so we can build a better picture of how honeybees are surviving in urban and rural areas around Chattanooga and the Tennessee Valley.

Your privacy matters. Specific addresses will never be shared publicly. When I publish maps or share findings, locations will only be shown in a general way, never at the household level.

Ethical Commitment

• 🐝 No bees will be harmed or removed as part of this project.
• 🏠 Exact locations will be kept confidential and only used for mapping and research.
• 🧭 This is about learning, not controlling or interfering.

I understand that in a world where many people feel cautious about sharing personal information, trust matters. I’m a beekeeper who cares deeply about honeybees, the environment, and the privacy of everyone who helps with this project.

How to Report a Feral Colony

If you know of a feral colony in a wall, tree, outbuilding, or anywhere else in the following counties please help add it to our bee map!

South Central Appalachia: Hamilton | Marion | Bradley | Meigs | Sequatchie | Polk | Rhea | Bledsoe

Southern Appalachia: Dade | Walker | Catoosa | Whitfield | Murray | Jackson County (AL) | DeKalb (AL)

1. You can submit your information: HERE
2. Text, Call, or Email me: (423) 994-7687 or noogahoneypot@gmail.com *Send me a general location (address, latitude & longitude, or nearby landmark), Describe where the bees are living (e.g., “in a hollow oak tree” or “behind the siding on an old barn”) Let me know if the colony is currently active

This is an ongoing project with no set time frame, so any information you share—now or in the future—would be incredibly helpful. Thank you for helping support this work and for being part of a project that celebrates and protects our local honeybee populations and helps us learn more about their secret lives in the places we call home.