Dana's recent piece on the vandalism of her local honeybee hives got us thinking about the importance of community and education when it comes to urban beekeeping. In cities around the world, co-operative groups can provide moral support, space, and training for its members, while organizations that offer classes can help educate future beekeepers as well as the general community.
Here's a list of some urban honey co-ops and beekeeping classes we've found. Do you know of any others or have experience with urban beekeeping? Leave a comment below!
CO-OPS
• Chicago: Chicago Honey Co-op
• New York: Gotham City Honey Co-op
• Pittsburgh: Burgh Bees
• San Francisco: Hayes Valley Farm
• Toronto: Toronto Beekeeper’s Co-operative
• United Kingdom: The Co-operative Group
CLASSES
Check the co-ops above, plus:
• Atlanta: Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association
• Columbus: Central Ohio Beekeepers Association
• Houston: Houston Beekeepers Association
• London: London Beekeepers Association
• Los Angeles: Backwards Beekeepers
• New York: New York City Beekeepers Association
• Philadelphia: Philadelphia Beekeepers Guild
• Phoenix: Beekeepers Association of Central Arizona
• San Francisco: San Francisco Beekeepers Association
• Seattle: Puget Sound Beekeepers Association
Related: Got Hives? Beekeeping Now Legal in New York City
(Image: Flickr member blumenbiene licensed under Creative Commons)
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Comments (5)
The City of Milwaukee just changed their rules about beekeeping to allow it. They have a brochure on the Department of Neighborhood Services website: http://www.city.milwaukee.gov/ImageLibrary/User/tweile/pdf/broc/DNS309_Bee_Brochure_V1B.pdf
It has information on how to get started, links to classes and resources like the Milwaukee Bee Keepers Association: http://mwbeekeepers.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3&Itemid=3
The Urban Ecology Center has begun keeping bees: http://www.urbanecologycenter.org/sustainablefood.html and have had some "meet and greet" events for the public to come check out the hives.
I'm stoked. First came the bees, and then (hopefully, ojala, inshallah) the chickens and rabbits for eating...
Here is a link for the Oregon State Beekeepers Association with links to classes etc. Portland has a lot of urban beekeeping here. http://www.orsba.org/htdocs/pdx.php
Dallas - Trinity Valley Beekeepers Association- http://guerradiaz.com/tvbees.org
Collin County (TX) - Collin County Hobby Beekeepers Association - http://www.cchba.org
My husband is an urban bee-keeper in Philadelphia with several hives in downtown Philly and in Delaware County. He also does presentations for school children. I know he's dealt with the Philadelphia Bee Guild on several occasions, but you may be better off contacting him if you're interested in starting a hive or having him come give a presentation.
Drop me a line and I'll give you his contact info!
The Round Rock Honey Beekeeping Academy is in Texas (Dallas, Austin, Houston, San Antonio) and California (Redwood City, San Francisco). It is the largest and most popular beekeeping academy in the nation, and has plans to expand to over 200 cities in the coming years. www.roundrockhoney.com