Buzzing With Excitement: This Student Group is a Hive of Activity

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By Joe Wilensky

On a Monday just before the end of spring semester classes, Daniel Sorokin ’27 carefully extracts a rectangular wooden hive frame that’s covered with hundreds of bees moving on and around its honeycomb cells. Holding it aloft and examining it closely, he gently plucks one insect off with his fingers, barehanded.

“This is a male bee, a drone,” he tells about 20 assembled members of the Bee Club at Cornell, including some who've never seen a hive inspection before. “You can tell by their shape and size, and they don’t have stingers.”

Sorokin, the club’s vice president, looks completely relaxed as dozens of bees fly around him—even though, unlike most of the members present, he’s not wearing protective gear.

“I often go without a suit at all; it’s fine as long as you’re calm and you know what you’re doing,” Sorokin explains. “Sometimes they get stuck in your hair and freak out—and sometimes they do sting me, but it’s not a big deal.”

The event, adorably named BeeBeeQue, is the club’s annual year-end gathering; it offers food, free swag, and a tour of the hives—each home to thousands of honeybees—housed at Cornell’s student-run Dilmun Hill Farm.

Sometimes they get stuck in your hair and freak out—and sometimes they do sting me, but it’s not a big deal.

Daniel Sorokin ’27, vice president

Sorokin and others inspect the hives, looking for any deformities in the bees, examining them for signs of pathogens, and testing for varroa mites, a parasite that can attack hives and the bees themselves.

“These guys look pretty healthy right now,” a pleased Sorokin says before moving on to the next hive.

Founded in 1997 and now tallying about 100 members, the club is dedicated to educating Cornellians and the general public about bees, beekeeping, and the insects’ importance as pollinators.

While many of its members are animal science majors, others are studying engineering, computer science, and a host of other fields.

Founded in 1997 and now tallying about 100 members, the club is dedicated to educating Cornellians and the public about bees, beekeeping, and the insects’ importance as pollinators.

In fact, past president Steve Hoge ’24, a biology and society major in Arts & Sciences, was the first author of a noted academic paper, published in the journal Apidologie in spring 2026, describing the discovery of the world’s biggest and oldest recorded population of ground-nesting bees—in a cemetery near campus.

Sorokin, a computer science major from New Jersey, started beekeeping at home during the pandemic.

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“A lot of people had their COVID sourdough—I had my COVID bees,” he says with a laugh. “I started a beehive with my dad in our backyard.”

Sorokin even taught an elective at his former high school and gave talks about beekeeping in the community.

Past president Steve Hoge ’24 was the first author of a noted academic paper describing the discovery of the world’s biggest and oldest recorded population of ground-nesting bees—in a cemetery near campus.

“There are more than 20,000 known species of bee—and at least 95% don’t make honey at all,” he notes, explaining that the vast majority of species are solitary, building individual nests to raise their young.

One of the club’s board members—Elias Xu ’29, an electrical and computer engineering major in the Duffield College—became involved with beekeeping as a high schooler in NYC while helping tend to rooftop gardens in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Outgoing president Samantha Durocher ’26, an environment and sustainability major in CALS, got involved after taking a honeybee course on the Hill.

“Our primary goal isn’t to produce a lot of honey,” she points out. “It’s to educate and just have fun managing the hives and bees.”

The club’s bees do produce a small amount each year; when it’s extracted in the fall, members often do a tasting and take home small bottles.

Club members can join biweekly hive checks during the fall and spring; they also host bee-related events that are typically open to the Cornell community, such as crafting candles and sustainable food wrap out of beeswax, workshops about nest box design, and talks by guest speakers like Big Red bee experts Tom Seeley and Bryan Danforth.

The club typically takes an annual tour of the University’s Dyce Lab for Honey Bee Studies, which has long assisted the group with its hives and colonies; last year, members visited a nearby honey house to see large-scale production in action.

Our primary goal isn’t to produce a lot of honey; it’s to educate and just have fun managing the hives and bees.

Samantha Durocher ’26, outgoing president

“I definitely see the importance of pollination, and I really value all the work that bees do,” says member Jocelyn Nashtatik ’28, an animal science major who serves as the club's secretary.

“My family is a huge fan of honey, so one of my favorite things is being able to see how the bees and the hives work, and learning how to take care of them.”

But, as Nashtatik admits: “I never thought I’d find myself so attracted to bees.”

Top: Club members check out a hive frame. (All photos by Joe Wilensky / Cornell University, unless otherwise indicated.)

Published July 10, 2026

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