“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed round” is a saying that is commonly and falsely attributed to the United States Postal Service.  Though the U.S. postal service has no official motto, it is arguably a testament to the dedication that these employees maintain in order to ensure that U.S. residents receive their correspondence, regardless of the challenges.    The same sentiment can be shared in regards to Kentucky beekeepers and the many obstacles that exist within beekeeping; they are the “couriers” to the colonies under their care as well as the apiary as a whole.  Snow blocking entrances to hives in the winter must be removed if ventilation for the hive is to remain; significant volumes of continuous rainfall or the lack of rainfall altogether will drastically affect honey production; internal and external parasites, viruses and a list of diseases to contend with; pesticides and other chemicals that negatively impact the biology of the honeybee...obstacles, everywhere!  If the challenge of being a beekeeper is not daunting enough, a year through 2020’s Covid pandemic and the disruption that was associated with it provided many negative implications for everyone, especially for those involved in the honeybee industry to any degree.

     Providing sterilization services to beekeepers with Kentucky State University’s Mobile Autoclave is a challenge in and of itself; it is a unique agricultural implement that demands a great volume of safety, knowledge, skills and essentially a bit of “grit” to operate.  Additionally, it requires quite an amount of organization and preparation, (as well as ongoing maintenance), in order to provide the beekeepers of Kentucky a safe and successful sterilization service. The pandemic drastically reduced the benefits of this sterilization service to Kentucky’s beekeepers throughout the 2020-21 Season.   Though in-person appointments were not permitted, the “down-time” proved to be beneficial in regards to completing preventative maintenance and performing any necessary inspections as well as repairs where necessary.  Additionally, the pandemic allowed for the completion of a much more organized maintenance and operation schedule, essentially narrowing down the process required to keep the mobile autoclave in operation.  Though the difficulties that the pandemic imposed on a naturally challenged service were significant, the successes to be reported for the 2020-2021 season should be celebrated.  Upon the closing of the 2020-2021 season, a total of 402 pieces of equipment were sterilized for beekeepers by means of Kentucky State University’s Mobile Autoclave, providing a savings valued at $2675.32.