b'ENVIRONMENTAL APA|MCO|PIT 59Komperda calls this the buildup. If he werent on call to diligentlyof Planning and Development for Arapahoe check on them, the bees would reproduce, swarm and likely attachCounty Public Airport Authority. to the side of a hangar, an airplane or off-duty snowplow or otherAlthough land management programs that parked vehicle.include bees require a delicate balance, she is We want to avoid that swarming at all costs because we dont wantoptimistic about airport apiaries with the proper to be a nuisance to the airport operations, Komperda emphasizes. Westaff and resources. A lot of sustainability and monitor the hives every week during the spring when theyre growing.environmental practices are really coming to When we see that theyre getting to a point where they may want tolight as of late, she says. I see the publicLAUREN WIARDAdecide to swarm, we take and split that hive in half and make it into twobeing very welcoming, open and happy about hives. That keeps them under our control. the idea that the bees have somewhere to go and they have an During winter, when the bees are in a resting state, Komperda onlyenvironment that meets their needs.has to check the hives about once a month. This year, the hives didSamantha Blymyer, noise and environmental specialist for the so well over winter, he was able to split them into four hives.Arapahoe County Public Airport Authority, is similarly enthusiastic If we figure there are about 50,000 bees in each one of thoseabout APAs bee program. I would definitely four hives, we have over 200,000 extra frequent flyers taking offrecommend this to other airports, Blymyer every day from Centennial Airport, he jokes.says. Airports have a lot of undeveloped or undevelopable land next to runways where we To be clear, APAs apiaries are located away from the safetycant construct buildings. I think it is a unique zones. Hives are located on stands screwed into platforms thatopportunity to be able to home bees there. are tied down with ratchet straps to avoid creating foreign objectAnd from our perspective, there are not really debris on the airfield. Such precautions help prevent the greenany disadvantages. I think it would be a good initiative from becoming a red flag, notes Lauren Wiarda, directorthing for other airports to implement.SAMANTHA BLYMYERCREATE IMMERSIVE ENVIRONMENTSDirect view LED displays can blend entertainment and information to immerse travelers along their journey. Connect with our Daktronics airport team to learn how our technology enhances airport architecturelike a deep dive on an escalator ride.DAKTRONICS.COM/AIRPORTSAirportImprovement.comOctober 2022'