Beekeeping for Wellness
Temple University Research Suggests Beekeeping Can Improve Mental Health in Older Adults
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A Temple University researcher has found that beekeeping can measurably reduce stress and depression in older adults. Meghan Robertson, a PhD student in Temple's College of Public Health, partnered with Amelia Mraz — founder of Philadelphia's Half Mad Honey apiary — to run a six-week pilot study with 13 seniors, average age 73. Participants showed significant improvements in health, depression, and stress scores by the end.
The findings are early and limited. With only 13 participants and no control group, the results cannot be generalized broadly. But Robertson and Mraz say the data points toward a promising new way to bring mental health care out of clinics and into nature.
Six Weeks With Bees Changed How Seniors Felt
The study ran for six weeks in late 2023. Thirteen older adults from the Philadelphia area learned to manage real beehives under Mraz's guidance. Before and after the program, researchers measured their mental health using validated tools like the Perceived Stress Scale and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) — a standard questionnaire doctors use to check for depression in older patients.
The results were striking for such a small group. Several participants moved from the "mildly depressed" category on the GDS to "normal." Stress scores also dropped significantly. Notably, there were zero reported bee stings during the entire six weeks, according to Mahoning Matters.
Why Beekeeping Forces You to Calm Down
Mraz says the therapy works because beekeeping demands mindfulness — focused, calm attention on the present moment. "Beekeeping requires a state of mindfulness," she said. "You have to be calm, or the bees react. That forced presence is what I believe drives the therapeutic effect."
Robertson echoes that idea. "The goal was to see if we could move therapy out of the four walls of a clinic and into the natural world," she said, according to Bradenton Herald. The physical setting matters too. Being outdoors, working with living creatures, and belonging to a small group all combine into something traditional talk therapy rarely offers.
Small Study, Real Limits — and a Plan to Grow
Scientists urge caution. Without a control group — say, a group of seniors who met weekly for gardening instead of beekeeping — it is impossible to know whether the bees themselves made the difference, or simply the social time with 12 peers. Critics call it a feasibility study, not a clinical trial, according to Kentucky.com.
Robertson acknowledges the limits. The next phase of research would measure cortisol — the body's main stress hormone — directly from participants' saliva before and after hive inspections. That would replace self-reported feelings with biological data. She and Mraz are also seeking grant funding to expand to larger groups with proper control conditions, according to Herald-Sun.
Beekeeping Therapy Fits a Bigger Push for Seniors
The study lands amid a growing crisis of loneliness among older Americans. Many of the 13 participants reported feeling isolated before joining the program. Gerontologists say "purpose-driven activities" — tasks that feel meaningful and high-stakes — are among the best tools for treating late-life depression. Caring for a live hive fits that description well, according to Macon Telegraph.
Similar programs have been piloted with veterans through the "Hives for Heroes" initiative, but the Temple study is one of the first to target seniors specifically. If beekeeping is ever recognized as a formal occupational therapy, it could qualify for Medicare coverage — a development that would open up funding for urban apiaries across the country, according to Tri-City Herald.
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