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I remember watching the film My Girl as a young kid and walking out of the theatre frightened by bees. For those of you who did not see the 1991 flick, Macaulay Culkin plays a young boy who suffers from a fatal bee allergy when he is confronted by a swarm during a game of hide-and-seek in nearby woods. It was an intense moment in the movie, witch attracted mainly young film goers not so accustom to topics of mortality in their standard movie fare. Anyway, it surely resonated with me. And I left thinking of bees as merely murderous insects seeking revenge. What I only recently learned as an adult is that bees are not entirely harmful and in fact are an extremely vital part of our human existence and well being. Some bees supply us with health-promoting honey or beeswax, and mostly all bees take part in pollinating our landscape, a necessary step in the cultivation of our food supply.
With continuous buzz around declining bee populations and great concern over whether this may lead to wide spread starvation, do-it-yourselfers are turning to beekeeping, not only to help the insect increase its numbers but to also benefit from its sweet nectar. Beekeeping is gaining so much popularity that even local government officials in cities like New York City and Minneapolis are stepping in to advocate for it. Currently, beekeeping is feared and considered illegal in some cities, but local advocates explain that it's an exaggerated phobia that desperately needs to be confronted. Even the White House is joining the beekeeping movement and is introducing two new honey bee colonies to the property this month. As far as reports have found, this is the first time honey bees are purposefully being introduced to the acreage.
I spoke with Christine Volinsky, a small scale beekeeper in the Northeast, about the benefits and craft of her honeybee cultivation. Christine keeps two hives on her property and up to 50,000 bees per hive. She proudly admits that one of the hives made it through the winter, and her household will be replacing the second hive this spring.
Christine explains that her appreciation for bees and their nectar first began when she started consuming local, uncooked honey to help remedy her seasonal allergies. This eventually led to her passion for supporting the insects that gave her such medicinal reprieve.
"I found a local beekeeper and began taking a teaspoon of honey each evening starting in February or March," Christine explains. "I still experience allergies, but the reaction has decreased by using honey. At the same time, I began reading about honeybees and beekeeping. Then I began hearing about Colony CollapseDisorder and decided to start a hive to do a small part to help the overall ailing honeybee community. I took classes through our local beekeepers association as well as a local University. Along the journey, I became aware that my grandparents had once been beekeepers as well. So, I also have a family legacy to live up to."
In addition to offering allergy relief and a sweet byproduct, Christine's hard working bees also lend support to her community — their innate pollinating behavior adds to an abundance of fresh, local produce. A note of caution, Christine explains that beekeepers do get stung, so anyone with a bee allergy should stay clear of the insect's busy hives.
So as the story goes, your local bee population is important. And if you have the time and resources, local beekeeping can be a rewarding and almost charitable undertaking, since its benefits not only add sweetness to your kitchen but also support your local community's health and food production.
Whether you're interested in housing bees, increasing their survival rate, or just simply want to benefit from the sweet local syrup, here's how you can support and advocate local beekeeping in your community:
- Join your local Beekeepers Association. Being a beekeeper is not a requirement. My local New York City Beekeepers Association is not only a place for keepers but also bee enthusiasts to gather and help reinforce to the local community the significance and safety of our foraging bees.
- Start your own apiary. Urban rooftops and suburban backyards can be successful and safe places for your busy nest. So don't feel left out just because you don't have a great amount of private farmland. Tree Hugger Sami Grover recently tells his account of installing a beehive for the first time, and offers some great tips. Also, The American Beekeeping Federation and The American Apitherapy Association not only offer legislative support but also a great amount of information and resources on how to get started.
- Buy local, raw honey from you farmers market or directly from a local beekeeper in your region. It's not only good for your health and sustaining the local bee population, but buying local honey also aids your local economy.
- Donate to a non-profit advocacy organization like Bees Without Borders, who work within impoverished communities around the world to teach members how to cultivate social bee hives and sell their honey.
