King of the colony

Unknowing trespassers who venture into a certain tree grove on the south side of Hartley might find themselves sprinting in the other direction.

Buzzing along the tree line is the city's lone beehive. Its keeper is Dave Vander Broek, who has maintained colonies there since 2016.

The Hartley man has grown quite fond of his many winged friends over the years.

"It's fascinating that the bees know so much," he said.

Vander Broek got interested in beekeeping after reading a magazine article about their plight. Pesticides, habitat loss and deadly invasive mites have significantly depleted bee popula...