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Amazing Feats of Urban Beekeeping

Together with Bee Culture, we salute city beekeepers!
By TDG Community
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Together with Bee Culture, we salute city beekeepers!

1

Rooftop Bees in Brooklyn

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Yeshwant writes: "Several years ago, I saw a hive at a community garden in midtown Manhattan. I sat mesmerized seeing the bees enter and leave the hive one after the other in an endless stream. A hive, for me, was a force of flying insects that would bring me free produce: one of the very few ways I could be a farmer in this city. There was also an urban farm in Red Hook, Brooklyn where I lived, that I hoped my bees would help pollinate. "Last winter, I joined the New York City Beekeeping Meetup Group and took the beekeeping classes they ran jointly with the Gotham City Honey Co-op. In the spring, I started with one hive on the roof of my row house. (The 'meadow' you see in some of the photos is the sedums and wild grasses growing on my home-made green roof.) In July, someone gave me a swarm they had caught, so now I have two colonies. This year was really rough for the bees because of all the rain in New York, but we're catching up in the fall."
2

Plan Bee Apiaries

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Mark Cawsey of Plan Bee Apiaries writes: "Here are couple of photos of us pulling honey supers recently. We keep bees just north of Seattle in Brier, Wash. The pictures were snapped by my son, Jacob."
3

Plan Bee Apiaries

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Bees at Plan Bee Apiaries, in Brier, Wash.
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4

Bees Bees Bees

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Bees at Plan Bee Apiary, in Brier, Wash.
5

Small Lot Beekeeping

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Karla writes: "I have beeen keeping bees for 4 years now on 0.8 of an acre, surrounded by new development (thousands of houses) in Gainesville, Virginia. I currently have 3 hives and 9 nucs in the back yard. Due to the efforts of our beekeeping club, recently, our county (Prince William County, Virginia) passed new zoning rules allowing the keeping of bees on lots as small as 10,000 square feet."
6

Small Lot Beekeeping

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Stefani writes: "When people find out that a 40x40-foot yard in my little Bay Area city holds three beehives, they're surprised. I don't know how much room they expect bees to take -- it's not as though I'm running beef cattle or alpaca in Alameda. Everyone's happy to visit at harvest time, though. The photo is of my daughter Caterina Angstadt-Leto 'helping' hive a swarm."
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7

Urban Beach Beekeepers

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Kelly writes: "My partner Janet and I have had some incredible bee adventures. It started when a reporter from the OC Weekly (Orange County, CA) wanted to follow us (two renegade urban bee rescuers and keepers) and do a story about what we do...."
8

Urban Bee Rescuers

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Kelly continues: "We were just beekeeping as a hobby, as gardeners and nature lovers, and soon we could not keep up with the amount of emails from people who wanted us to rescue their bees. So now we are the founders of backyardbees.net."
9

Beekeeping in Strange Locations

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Kelly continues: "We have over 40 hives that are kept in backyard gardens, small local farms or orchards. One of our bee locations is the City of Laguna Woods -- resuced 4 hives from their city building and now manage them on the rooftop!"
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10

Selling Honey

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Kelly continues: "We sell local honey and rescue hives as an alternative to chemical extermination. Our other goal is to provide public awareness by giving beekeeping lectures and help people who want to get started in beekeeping."
11

A Combined Hive in Denver for a New Marriage

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Kathleen writes: "We started recently backyard beekeeping in Denver Colorado. My interest in beekeeping started several years ago while helping a friend with her honey harvest out in Strasburg Colorado. After setting up our two hives in late May, we waited for swarm calls. The first came from Greenwood Mountain and the swarm was miniscule but we were thrilled. We collected the swarm by hand, which took quite a long time, but we were excited and awed by the process. Our second swarm came to us boxed and I made many newbie mistakes while introducing them to the hive, but somehow they ended up claiming it as home. Towards the end of summer, we did a hive combine. Although we weren't able to gather any honey this season, we hope that our hive combine was successful enough for the bees to survive through winter for "robbing" next season! "Dallas and I recently married and we included our hives in the half-moon cake topper I compiled from photographs of us and our 'menagerie.'"
12

St Louis Beekeeping

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Anna writes: "I am a second-year urban backyard beekeeper. I live in the city of St. Louis near Forest Park, famed home of the 1904 World's Fair. I became a beekeeper because I felt called to help perpetuate the species and pollinate my garden. The Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association has been a great resource. This picture was taken last summer, when there was only one hive. Now there are two.
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13

Family Beekeeping

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T.J. writes: "My family of seven began keeping 3-4 hives in 2005 on a little over an acre in a neighborhood in Tullahoma, Tenn., after a little bit of discussion with our immediate neighbors and city zoning officials. The only obstacles we have encountered in the past five seasons have been the occasional observations from neighbors about bees visiting swimming pools, birdbaths and hummingbird feeders. A few times through the years we have had the occasional sting on a child's bare foot or a cloud of robbing bees roaming the yard after a mistake by the beekeeper. Through beekeeping, gardening and tending for friend's farm animals we have decided to put our home in the city up for sale and look for a hobby farm in the country to expand our operation and become more self sufficient."
14

A Family Tradition of Beekeeping

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John writes: "One winter my dad surprised my wife and I with an eight-frame starter kit and all the tools we would need. We painted the boxes and I set out to build an enclosure for the hives in order to protect them from curious hounds from venturing too close. Our yard gets full sun all day so I have faced the hive opening to the southeast and constructed a trellis of morning glories that protects them from the mid day heat. It all turned out just as I had hoped except that I was still very apprehensive of keeping bees in urban Fairfax County, Virginia, which is a close suburb of Washington, D.C. I was afraid of what my neighbors would think and envisioned complaints of bees stinging everyone in our subdivision. Thankfully most of our closest neighbors are gardeners and welcomed the honey bees with enthusiasm. To this date no one has been stung (except me, like all the time) and our conversations often start with the question, 'How are the girls doing?' Their caring and encouragement has been a great inspiration to me." Read more of his story Two Tales of Beginning Urban Beekeeping.
15

Fairfax County, Va. Beekeeping

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John continues: "In our rookie season we have made a few mistakes -- a swarm and an all-to-curious skunk (which has now sprayed our bloodhound twice) ... but we are learning. Thankfully, not at the cost of the bees who seem to be doing just fine as they are headed into their first winter here. Even my Brooklyn-bred wife, Patricia, has fallen in love with them. Her first stop after arriving home from work is usually out to see the bees." "My wife and I have already begun planning for another hive next year. After some research with my dad we have decided to try some "Kenyan Top Bar Hives" which we have began to construct ourselves. I am expanding my bee friendly gardens also. We installed a sunflower garden as well as a 1,500-square foot vegetable garden this past spring. All of which turned out very well. Can't wait for the girls to see what is in store for them next year!" Read more of his story Two Tales of Beginning Urban Beekeeping.
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16

Full Frontal Illegal Bees in Denver

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Amy writes: "I live in North City Park section of Denver, about three miles from the center of downtown. Bees just recently became legal here. I have two hidden behind sunflowers are at my house (still illegal; they are supposed to be in the rear third of my lot). Denver City Park and Zoo are 1/2 mile from my house, and the Denver Botanic Gardens are two miles away. My yard is fully xeric, not one blade of grass ... Bee heaven!
17

Rooftop Beekeeping in Washington, D.C.

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Toni writes: "I keep bees in three locations within Washington D.C., as well as one in the Virginia suburbs. My first two packages of bees arrived and were installed on my roof. My Virginia apiary was started the following year. I now look after seven hives within DC, one of which actually belongs to the DC Parks and Rec Department. I have two hives on my roof, and the picture comes from there. "The picture shows me with my roof hives at mid-year last year. Every year they grow up stronger than the last, which results in me pressing all sorts of gear into service ahead of swarming -- which I believe must be avoided in an urban context. The electrical cords attach to Bee-Cool units, which make me feel better because roof temps top 110 degrees F at least once every summer here. My bees are really productive, so perhaps it helps them, too."
18

San Jose Beekeeping

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Brenda writes: "We began beekeeping (in Cambrian Park, San Jose, Calif.) on a whim in April 2009 because we never saw honeybees in our garden. Our first hive swarmed in June, then it was varroa mites and moths. We now have two very healthy hives going into Fall strong with honey stores. We have added bamboo to our grape-stake fence to shield the sidewalk and plain view. Our neighbors are so far in strong support and it's been a hit with most of the passers by."
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19

Native Bee Houses in McLean, Va.

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Denise writes: "Well — surely you guys didn't mean to discriminate against our native bees, just because they don't make honey! These little girls and guys are fabulous pollinators, and they need our love and support, too. That's why I started raising Orchard Mason Bees about seven years ago, and why I donate the bee houses I designed for them to local schools, native plant nurseries, historical sites, County parks and anyone who wants to help increase their populations. I live about seven miles outside of Washington, D.C. on 1/8 acre that I've jam-packed with all the plants that bees and butterflies adore. So don't forget to count me in, because I'm a dedicated urban beekeeper, too — and I don't even need a bee suit ;-)" Did you know that it takes only 250 orchard mason bees to pollinate one acre of commercial apple orchards, whereas it would take 25,000 honeybees to accomplish the same task? Learn how to raise orchard mason bees and other native bees.
20

Illegal Beekeeping

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I am an illegal urban beekeeper. In my small Midwest town bees are classified as "pests." Pest indeed! In the first 16 years I lived in my house I never saw a honeybee. As a way to honor and remember my late father who kept 10 hives I decided to get a hive to release some swarms back into the wild. I live toward the end of a tree-lined dead end street, surrounded by neighbors who don't use chemicals and are understanding about my mission. I live about a block from a clover- and flower-filled park with many dead and hollow trees ideal for a beehive.... It has been a good 16 months. When I take my grandson for a walk and see a golden bee (which happens with increasingly more frequency) I feel pretty good that at least one of my swarms is doing well. Finally this summer I saw a bee I had never seen before. Research has led me to conclude it is a leaf cutter bee. I take this as a sign that, at least in my micro-ecosystem, things may be improving. I hope to send off many more swarms and get a bit more honey before the local authorities catch me and slap me in leg irons. The Obamas can keep bees but not me?
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