From misconceptions about the dangers of bees to a lack of understanding of the importance of these industrious creatures to our existence and the ecosystem, city beekeeping is a topic few truly understand. To educate those interested in beekeeping within the confines of urban spaces, we take an exhaustive look at everything new beekeepers need to know about city beekeeping.
#Setting up an Urban Hive
Unlike typical agricultural environments, city settings offer unique challenges for beekeepers. Nonetheless, with the right tools, knowledge, and attitude, these can be overcome. The first step to city beekeeping is understanding how to establish a hive in an urban setting.
Your rooftop or balcony is a perfect place to set up your beehive, as long as it offers adequate sunlight, good ventilation, and protection from extreme weather. Also consider ease of access for tasks like hive inspection, extraction of honey, and cleaning.
For building a hive, the standard Langstroth hive is easiest for beginners due to its simplicity and efficiency of design. It consists of a bottom board, brood chamber, queen excluder, supers, inner cover and top cover. Within the brood chamber and supers are removable frames where the bees will build their comb and store honey.
Another popular design for urban beekeeping is the top-bar hive. This offers less honey yield but easier maintenance. Its horizontal design is ideal for beekeepers who may have physical limitations preventing them from lifting heavy boxes.
Local regulations may dictate what kind of hive you can have, how many, and where they can be placed, so consult with your local government or beekeeping association before building your hive.
#Procuring Your Bees
Now, let’s focus on the star workers of beekeeping – the bees themselves. Bees are typically purchased in packages or nucs (nucleus colonies). Packages are boxes filled with bees and a queen, while nucs are miniature functioning beehives complete with frames of brood, honey, and a laying queen.
Importantly, city beekeepers must consider their bees’ breed. Italian bees (Apis mellifera ligustica) are recommended for urban beekeeping due to their gentle temperament and prolific honey production. However, other strains like the Carniolan (Apis mellifera carnica) also fare well in city settings because they handle cold climates and resist diseases.
#Urban Bee Nutrition
In city environments, bees may struggle to find an adequate variety and quantity of nectar and pollen sources. Consider planting a bee-friendly garden with diverse, blooming plants throughout the year. Lavender, sage or sunflowers are great choices that bees love.
Supplemental feeding may also be necessary, especially during winters or times of nectar dearth. Sugar syrup and pollen substitutes can be easily made at home and provided to the bees. However, caution should be exercised to not overfeed and encourage robbing behavior from other bees.
#Community Relations
City beekeeping comes with the added responsibility of maintaining good neighbourly relations. Promote a positive view of beekeeping by educating your neighbors about the importance of bees, assuring them about the safety measures you’re taking. Offering some of your first honey harvest usually softens any apprehension!
When bees go out foraging, they generally fly straight up in a ‘bee line’ and do not spread out until they’re above roof height. However, to guide them upwards quickly you could add a small fence or screen around your hive which the bees will then fly over. This helps avoid any unnecessary human-bee interaction.
#Bee Health
Urban beekeepers should constantly monitor their bees for signs of disease or pests. The most common threats include varroa mites, American foulbrood, nosema, small hive beetles, and wax moths. Consulting with a local beekeeping association or hiring a beekeeping mentor for the first few months can be extremely beneficial here.
Regular inspections should be conducted to ensure the queen is laying, there is enough honey and pollen stores, and no pests or diseases are present.
#Harvesting Your Honey
To harvest honey, you’ll need some specialized gear including a bee suit, gloves, hive tool, bee brush, smoker, extractor, sieves, and containers. Remember to only remove frames that are at least 75% capped, leaving enough honey stores for the bees.
Finally, city beekeeping is a continual learning journey that rewards your efforts with the sweet joy of honey and the satisfaction of making a positive contribution to our ecosystem. As enough cities allow and support beekeeping initiatives, we’ll enjoy healthier environments, diverse food sources, and enriched urban life. From setting up the hive, obtaining bees, maintaining their health, to harvesting the ‘liquid gold’, city beekeeping may be a challenge, but it’s one worth taking!
