Advertisement |
Bernardo remained calm throughout the stunt and told WSU News that he had complete confidence in the staff on hand.
"Initially, there's this scratchiness, sort of moving sensation," he said. "It's very noisy, maybe a little nerve-wracking. But I wasn't nervous. We had paramedics and every bee expert within 1,000 miles here, so I figured I was in good hands."
Stemets donated $50,000 to the new facility and Bernardo and beekeeper Eric Olson agreed to match all donations to $25,000.
"I believe in the intelligence of nature," Stemets said. "I study fungi, and I think using mushroom mycelium to help the bees will be key to saving them. We want to give back to bees what they give to us. I hope this small donation will go a long way to help the bees."
The total cost of the proposed 15,000-square-foot facility is estimated to be up to $16 million.