Urban beekeeping is the latest buzz

When Cindy Barclay asks visitors to her booth at the local farmers market if they want to try honey from downtown Albany, they're often shocked.

"They think I'm joking or they have a hard time believing it's from right here, but it really is a draw for them," said Barclay, who maintains hives in her small backyard, just blocks from New York's Capitol.

Surrounded by apartment buildings, Barclay uses a smoker to disarm the bees and begins prying open one of the hives in her yard. Birds chirp and traffic roars in the background as the bees begin to softly buzz.

Barclay's bees collect pollen from nearby Washington Park and the trees and flower beds that line the city's streets. Barclay, her husband and their 18-month-old son have two other hives in a nearby suburb. They've been doing it now for nearly seven years.

Like Barclay, city dwellers across the country are rapidly discovering the appeal of urban beekeeping. Large cities like Chicago, Seattle, Boston, Dallas and San Francisco are even promoting beekeeping for pollination health, to keep city vegetation green and lush.

In New York City, a growing population of beekeepers is raising the insects in community gardens and on building roofs, even though it's technically illegal to keep bees there. Lawmakers plan to re-examine the city law that classifies honeybees as "wild and ferocious animals" along with lions, ferrets and alligators.

The hobby has become increasingly important amid rising concern over honeybee die-offs attributed to a mysterious disease that causes adult bees to abandon their hives, known as colony collapse disorder. Scientists are struggling to understand what's behind the problem.

"Nothing is as good or as easy to manage as honeybees in terms of pollinating a wide range of crops," said Kim Kaplan, spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's research service. "We have fewer bees than ever before, and they're under greater stress than they've ever been, not only due to CCD but also other diseases, mites and increased demand."

Peter Sinton, president of the San Francisco Beekeepers Association, said membership of his organization has increased immensely, and he believes it's largely due to people's awareness of CCD. Hobby beekeeping isn't going to help the needs of intense commercial pollination, Kaplan said, but it will help backyard gardens.

Keeping bees in urban areas typically requires considerations that beekeepers in rural or suburban areas don't always have to worry about — like water. If you don't keep enough water for your bees, they'll often go to neighbors' pools and bird baths, according to veteran beekeepers.

Donald Burger, who teaches a course on backyard beekeeping in Houston, said beekeepers also need to consider the flight path of their bees — best kept above head level so the bees aren't flying straight into where people walk.

Certain varieties of honeybees are more docile than others, making them better for areas where they may encounter a lot of people, Burger said. He prefers a breed called buckfasts, while Barclay has kept both Italian and Carniolan honeybees.

Even if local regulations allow beekeeping, complaints from neighbors can shut you down if you don't know what you're doing.

"There's a fear factor that occurs around honeybees," said Michael Thompson, who helped start the Chicago Honey Co-op in 2003. "People don't understand just how gentle they really are.

"I teach beekeeping and I always tell people before they buy the equipment that they need to really talk about it with their neighbors," said Thompson, who also maintains the city's hives on top of City Hall and in other downtown locations.

Beekeepers say any complaints they get are usually based on misconceptions about honeybees.

"In five years, we have had about two people come by and actually be angry about our hives," Thompson said. "They thought yellow jacket wasps were honeybees."

Even in New York City, longtime beekeeper Roger Repohl said prosecutions of beekeepers are rare and problems only arise when something bothersome happens, such as when someone topples a hive or the bees get into a building. Repohl said it's more an issue of humans endangering bees, not the other way around.

Urban beekeepers say the few concerns are more than worth it. Many swear the honey is tastier, and they say cities are often a healthier environment for bees because there is less pesticide usage than in most farming areas.

Residents with gardens typically welcome bees, and many beekeepers say they've found their neighbors are very interested in their bees.

"They're sort of like fish but better. Watching them calms you," said Rob Hicks, who keeps four hives in Chicago. "It's a fun way to spend time, and I think it might even have some effect on blood pressure," he joked.

There's also the honey. Hicks said that like many beekeepers, he's usually able to sweet-talk neighbors into acceptance by keeping them well-supplied with honey.

Barclay not only sells the honey at a weekly farmers market, she also sells beeswax candles, lip balm and baked goods made with honey. She said her customers rave about the varieties of honey she makes.

"The taste is different. We think it's mostly because of the linden trees around here," said Thompson, the Chicago beekeeper. "The honey is just incredibly delicious. It's hard to describe. When people taste it, they're just floored."

___

On the Net:

American Beekeeping Federation: http://www.abfnet.org/

San Francisco Beekeepers Association: http://www.sfbee.org/

Chicago Honey Co-op: http://www.chicagohoneycoop.com/

Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press. 
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy.