How a Colorado state law benefits bees and beekeepers

This year Colorado lawmakers approved a bill designed to help protect the state's bee population.

The bill will limit access to some of the more powerful pesticides and potentially help the population surge.

Beekeepers say while awareness around the importance of bees grows so does the interest in keeping personal hives.

"Bees are just cool," Doug Rush said.

Rush started managing his own hives a few years ago, today he's president of the Jefferson County Beekeeper Association. 

"Over the last four or five years we have grown to over 100 members we've got a teaching aviary where we do clinics," he said. 

Their main mission is education and they gave CBS News Colorado reporter Karen Morfitt an inside look at their work. Starting with the proper protection. 

"Tuck you all in, and now you're bee proof," Rush said helping with the bee suit.

Rush says every seven to 10 days beekeepers are inspecting their hives.

"There's the beginning of the bees," Rush said opening a backyard hive.

Once the top is pulled... you'll find thousands of bees and a sweet scent fills the air.

"A hive has a particular smell that lets you know if it's healthy," Rush added

There are a number of other steps to successfully managing a hive that for many has an incredibly sweet ending.

"It takes a whole lot of nectar to make a little bit of wax and it takes a whole lot of nectar to make a little bit of honey," he said.

While that is certainly one of the rewards for Rush and the rest of his group it's also about the bigger impact of protecting pollinators.

"You would not have anywhere near the food on your table or the harvest in the field if something didn't pollinate it," Rush said.

If you would like to learn more about beekeeping you can visit: https://bit.ly/3Ko3469