I just joined NYC's Urban Beekeepers!
This summer I am learning about NYC's thriving beekeeping community, which has grown rapidly in recent years as the modern threats to honey bees and understanding of the risks they face become more mainstream. It has also grown now that it is legal to have honey bees! While it had been illegal to keep bees in NYC--thanks to legislation put in place by Giuliani calling bees pests (apparently he never took a science class)--in March of 2010, the law was changed, legalizing the guerrilla beekeeping of roughly 500 New Yorkers. Now apis mellifera, the common, non aggressive honeybee, is legal to keep within city limits.
I wanted to learn more, although my current living situation (with a landlord who won't tolerate tomatoes on his roof and roommates who won't tolerate my watering can in the hallway) certainly does not open itself up to beekeeping yet. That doesn't stifle my interest! I joined the Meetup Group, NYC Beekeeping, and attended the first event I could, a book signing by a beekeeper turned author for the book Confessions of a Bad Beekeeper.
It was lovely! but not as expected. I expected way more beards and sandals than I saw; instead there were many middle aged and middle class beekeepers who had come straight from work, in appearance fitting in with any other business-minding New Yorker. I suppose it makes sense: a certain age and income are necessary to have a permanent enough home and lifestyle to allow for something like beekeeping: you wouldn't build a chicken hen in your backyard if you knew you may move in nine months, for example, so nor would you insert a beehive.
So much here to learn! The next event will be a hive inspection on Randall's Island to see where the Beekeeping group is keeping their collective hives. My Italian beekeeping mentors would be so proud to see me now!
This summer I am learning about NYC's thriving beekeeping community, which has grown rapidly in recent years as the modern threats to honey bees and understanding of the risks they face become more mainstream. It has also grown now that it is legal to have honey bees! While it had been illegal to keep bees in NYC--thanks to legislation put in place by Giuliani calling bees pests (apparently he never took a science class)--in March of 2010, the law was changed, legalizing the guerrilla beekeeping of roughly 500 New Yorkers. Now apis mellifera, the common, non aggressive honeybee, is legal to keep within city limits.
I wanted to learn more, although my current living situation (with a landlord who won't tolerate tomatoes on his roof and roommates who won't tolerate my watering can in the hallway) certainly does not open itself up to beekeeping yet. That doesn't stifle my interest! I joined the Meetup Group, NYC Beekeeping, and attended the first event I could, a book signing by a beekeeper turned author for the book Confessions of a Bad Beekeeper.
It was lovely! but not as expected. I expected way more beards and sandals than I saw; instead there were many middle aged and middle class beekeepers who had come straight from work, in appearance fitting in with any other business-minding New Yorker. I suppose it makes sense: a certain age and income are necessary to have a permanent enough home and lifestyle to allow for something like beekeeping: you wouldn't build a chicken hen in your backyard if you knew you may move in nine months, for example, so nor would you insert a beehive.
So much here to learn! The next event will be a hive inspection on Randall's Island to see where the Beekeeping group is keeping their collective hives. My Italian beekeeping mentors would be so proud to see me now!
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