Before Berkshire’s Bears returned to campus this fall, another community arrived first: honey bees.

In August, senior Gus Chong '26, of New Jersey, brought 70,000 Italian honey bees to campus with the help of Environmental Science teacher Chris Meehan. The bees now live in two Langstroth hives—an apiary—next to Chevalier Senior Lodge.

The colonies will serve as the foundation of Chong’s Advanced Environmental Science Research (AESR) project, which focuses on monitoring hive health.

“This year, I’ll be taking a look at how smart hive sensors can detect hive health,” Chong explained.

A particular concern is the Varroa mite, a parasite common in bee populations that can devastate entire colonies. “It can kill a whole colony in a winter,” according to Chong. “I’m looking at how smart hive sensors can detect early signs of colony stress and swarming.”

Chong received 10,000 bees for his 12th birthday and has been beekeeping ever since. Back home, he's attended New Jersey Beekeeping Association conferences and joined a local co-op to deepen his knowledge. Now, he’s eager to share his passion with the Berkshire community.

“There’s so much to learn about bees—they’re super fascinating creatures,” he said. “The queen lays up to 1,500 eggs a day, she’s constantly working, and about 95 percent of the hive is female. That’s really cool.”

Chong expects the bees to thrive in their new home at Berkshire. He said his mom and sister helped decorate one of the hives to help make sure that happens.