For some, the thought of a bee sting conjures up the fear of anaphylactic shock, and potentially, fatality. Others consider bees to be an extreme annoyance and try to avoid them if possible. But a group of local bee enthusiasts known as the Davis Bee Collective views bees as pertinent members of the ecosystem as well as gentle, cooperative creatures.

In order to educate the public and create a safe space for bees, the Collective held a grand opening of the Davis Bee Sanctuary on Sunday afternoon.

Located behind the Domes on Orchard Park Drive, the Bee Sanctuary’s apiary, or bee yard, serves as a place for bees to swarm and nurture their young. Additionally, the sanctuary is an educational garden where people can learn about keeping bees and harvesting honey without using chemicals.

The grand opening was attended by a diverse crowd of interested bee supporters, including small children, students and experienced beekeepers. Free samples of honey were distributed, and several workshops were given on beekeeping tactics.

The Bee Sanctuary is home to thousands of bees, as well as dozens of different flowers and several types of fruits. The sanctuary features a labyrinth-shaped walkway, seven hives that are currently occupied by bees and a myriad of gardens, including raspberries, shrubs, perennials, and catnip.

The garden portion of the apiary implements modern techniques, such as hugelkultur, to make the area cost effective and environmentally efficient. Hugelkultur is essentially a raised garden comprised of buried wood. The wood provides nutrients and air pockets for roots of plants and holds water, diminishing the need for irrigation.

Derek Downey, a member of the Davis Bee Collective who graduated from UC Davis with a degree in engineering in 2009, said that one of the most important functions of the Bee Sanctuary is to provide bees with a source of food year-round.

“The flowers we planted have different blooming times, so the bees have a constant food source,” Downey said.

Downey, who has been beekeeping for seven years, described the sanctuary as a place where aspiring beekeepers can keep their bees, use shared tools and information and collect honey during the summer. In January, he taught a workshop on building beehives.

The Collective is open to any aspiring beekeepers, and new members can build a hive to keep at the Bee Sanctuary.

“We provide the tools, and each hive costs $40. If someone was to build the same hives on their own, it would cost them several hundred dollars,” Downey said.

Additionally, Downey said the bees are often misunderstood, as well as underappreciated.

“They support us. We use them. They account for $16 billion of value from their pollination in food production in America. Without them, the quality and quantity of food would decrease dramatically. Every third bite you eat, you should thank a honeybee,” Downey said.

Fellow bee lover Melanie Lataste said that her work at the Davis Bee Sanctuary can be attributed to her natural love of wildlife.

“I used to be a biologist, so bees are a natural attraction for me. If you get to learn from them, you get completely seduced. I’m always afraid to get stung, though; I’m a very cautious person. But to be a beekeeper and think that you’re never going to get stung is an illusion,” Lataste said.

Downey also acknowledged the reality of bee stings, but said there is a way to minimize the possibility of a sting.

“You get stung once in awhile. It doesn’t bother me anymore. I’ve built up immunity to it. The best way to get over a fear of bees is to learn how to calm the mind when you’re opening a bee hive,” Downey said.

Sophomore theatre major Sarah Salem said that her residency at the Domes gives her a front row seat to Davis Bee Sanctuary.

“Since I live right at the Domes, I can get honey from friends. The whole process of just watching how the bees live together is interesting. It’s like a little universe,” Salem said.

In addition to the honey that the majority of the bees at the sanctuary produce, the apiary has the means to produce wax, lotion, lip balms, candles and medicine from some of the herbs.

“The easy way out is to go to the store and buy stuff. The better way is to talk to your neighbors. The bee sanctuary is entirely donation-based,” Downey said.

For those interested in getting involved with the project, the Davis Bee Collective meets at the apiary every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Additionally, they post information about the Bee sanctuary on DavisWiki.

The bee lovers hope to continue to expand the Bee sanctuary and possibly connect it with some of the gardens at the Domes.

“You get into beekeeping for the honey. You stay for the bees,” Lataste said.

KELSEY SMOOT can be reached at features@theaggie.org.

Bus driver, ASUCD Coffee House vendor and Dining Commons worker are only a few of the various jobs held by UC Davis students on campus. There are even more jobs held by students that are less common to the public eye.

While it is almost common knowledge that students are the bus drivers for Unitrans, they are also the mechanics that service the buses and the instructors that test the drivers of the various buses.

It is also students’ jobs to ensure that all is running smoothly; these students are referred to as route supervisors.

Junior plant sciences major Kevin Ross describes his job as having two parts. The first is as a dispatcher working in an office, sending for buses on call and dealing with shift changes, or what Moss referred to as the paperwork side of the job.

Moss said his favorite part of the job, though, is actually being on the road, doing anything from driving observations to ensure that drivers are being safe on the road to taking pictures of accidents. However, there are no limits to what the route supervisor will have to do on the job.

“You can’t sum up an average day. We are responsible for ensuring that Unitrans maintains its normal service for anything that may arise,” Ross said. “One time a guy took a duck that got hit by a bus to the hospital. It’s basically anything that happens out on the road. I prefer the route supervisor work, going out and doing stuff. I don’t really like sitting behind a desk so much.”

Hugo Jimenez, a fifth-year senior mechanical engineering major, is the Unitrans operations manager in charge of all of the route supervisors. He said that students working with Unitrans learn a lot from these jobs.

“It provides a lot of experience, like leadership, which I believe is necessary,” Jimenez said. “It also gives hands-on experience, getting skills that will help in a future career.”

Another job held by students that involves driving is with Mobility Assistance. Cody Chapman, a senior psychology major minoring in communication and Chinese, works as a student assistant driving a golf cart to pick up injured or disabled individuals.

“Whenever there is a student, staff or faculty member that is injured or has a disability, we give them rides to academic locations, like class, office hours or tutoring on campus,” Chapman said. “It can be anything from sports students or someone with a permanent injury or disability.”

A student, staff or faculty member gives their schedule to Mobility Assistance and rides are scheduled to pick them up. Chapman said that his job as a student assistant is the best on campus.

“You drive around in a golf cart all day, but you also get to meet everyone from freshmen who twist their ankles from intramural sports or staff members or grad students,” Chapman said. “The hours are pretty flexible, too, because you only drive when students aren’t in classes.”

Chapman also said that having students work this job proves to be beneficial because it helps the UC Davis student population as a whole.

“It’s students helping other students rather than someone doing it as their job. There’s more of a connection,” Chapman said. “Some of the kids I drive I am actually friends with now. It’s kind of cool.”

Another student job position on campus belongs to Jasmine Nasser, a senior community and regional development major.

Picnic Day is run nearly entirely by students. Nasser is the director of the Multicultural Children’s Fair, which involves a stage, exhibits, activities and arts and crafts geared towards kids.

“It’s fun,” Nasser said. “I like kids and doing crafty things. I just thought it was something to do.”

The board consists of 16 students, all of whom work toward a common goal of putting on a successful Picnic Day for their fellow students. Nasser was hired over the summer and has been working throughout the year with the board to organize the children’s aspect of the famous Davis event.

“Everyone knows about Picnic Day, so I thought it would be fun to actually be a part of it,” Nasser said.

Another hidden student job is located at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) in the financial annex. First-year student Haley Goldlist works as an assistant, collecting mail and matching patients’ payments electronically. She said the job is unique because of the flexibility.

“I can go in whenever I want and I work two hours a day. It’s flexible, which is good because I am a student,” Goldlist said. “It’s like the perfect job.”

As an undeclared biological sciences major, Goldlist aims to work in the medical field, therefore using this job as a stepping stone to her future career.

“Everyone is really friendly and it’s good to get to know people if I want to go into animal science,” Goldlist said.

UC Davis has various jobs for its students, which most believe to be a benefit of the campus, bringing students together.

“It’s students working with students,” Chapman said. “It makes a bigger community.”

Jobs with Picnic Day and Unitrans are posted on the ASUCD website at vacancy.ucdavis.edu. Openings with Mobility Assistance may be found at campusrecreation.ucdavis.edu. Positions such as those at the VMTH are posted on Aggie Job Link.

DEVON BOHART can be reached at features@theaggie.org.