RIESEL, Texas (KWTX) – A nonprofit is partnering with solar farms across the nation to set up bee hives on small plots of land, providing therapy for veterans and first responders while supporting pollinator populations.
At the Roseland Solar Farm in Riesel veterans and first responders are paired with experienced beekeepers to care for the bee hives on the site and harvest their honey.
“Our mission at Hives for Heroes is to save bees and save lives,” said Steve Jimenez, president and founder of Hives for Heroes.
Jimenez, a veteran himself, explains that he wanted to find a way to help others who may be struggling.
“We have an extremely high suicide rate, you know 4x the normal rate of society,” he shared.
At Hives for Heroes, participants are given a new purpose… saving the declining bee population.
Jesse Puckett with the renewable energy company Enel said when construction started on the Roseland Solar Farm, they began looking for a beekeeping partner.
“We were looking for ways to increase biodiversity on our site. You know through our sustainability initiatives a lot of our work is supporting pollinator friendly habitats,” Puckett said.
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That’s how they found Hives for Heroes, approaching them in 2024.
“One of the things that we were looking for is a partner that has really great community influence,” Puckett shared, “Hives for Heroes really checks a lot of those boxes for us so it’s a really great partner for us to have.”
The site now has a fully functioning hive that makes honey and pollinates the surrounding area.
“We have about 4×4 square foot, which is all we need! Which is wonderful cause then the bees take the rest of the land,” Jimenez said.
Jimenez says for many veterans and first responders the hands-on work has become a passion, adding that they’re now helping educate others.
“Other veterans and first responders, even schools, have come out to see the bees,” he shared, “we put them in the gear and they go through like inspections for example, and they’re educating the community and that’s a huge component of the outreach.”.
Hives for Heroes currently has bee hives at two Enel solar farms in Texas, one here in Central Texas and another near Bryan-College Station.
Both Jimenez and Puckett said they hope to grow that number over the next few years.
“We would love to see how our projects can continue to provide that land access, which is a barrier for many that are looking to get into beekeeping,” Puckett said.
Those interested can sign up here. No experience is needed, and the organization provides all training and equipment for free.
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