A small but growing number of veterans around the country are turning to beekeeping as a potential treatment for anxiety, PTSD and other conditions.
Veterans Affairs has begun offering beekeeping at a few facilities including in New Hampshire and Michigan, and researchers are starting to study whether the practice has therapeutic benefits.
For now, there is little hard data, but veterans in programs like the one at the Manchester VA Medical Center in New Hampshire insist that beekeeping helps them focus, relax and become more productive.
While some programs are geared to helping veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, others have a broader mandate. Their main goal is to expose veterans to beekeeping, and relief from PTSD or anxiety is an added benefit.