The time has arrived! The first meeting of the NYC chapter of the Backwards Beekeepers is here!The first meeting is being held at the Brooklyn Grange on Thursday, August the 18th from 6:30-9PM. It's right by the 36th st E/M/R Station in Queens! I'm a founding member, so the only reason not to show up is because you don't love me OR the bees!
Brooklyn Grange will be hosting on their vast rooftop farm, Sam Comfort will be there waxing philosophical about treatment-free beekeeping...growing strong bees, resisting the urge to rely on chemical crutches to keep your bees alve, catching wild bees, swarming, all of the things that make a beekeeper "backwards".
We hope that many of you can make it. We encourage folks to bring a small jar of the honey they harvested this season so that we can all . We'll have some fresh baked bread from Roberta's on hand to serve along side of it while we marvel at the genius of bees and the hazy Manhattan skyline.
While you are at it, we hope you will "like" our Facebook fan page too! We'll post updates frequently and share pictures of our beekeeping adventures as well as dates for upcoming classes and workshops led by some of our members, like Tim O'Neal, Sam and myself!
Hope to see many of you urban beeks there!
p.s. Big, big, BIG UPS to Renee Garner for designing our logo. It's freaking awesome and we're so lucky to have such talented people willing to help us out! You're amazing, Renee!
It will also be followed by a drinking session at a local watering hole hosted by the Honeysuckle Rosies (I'm never not going to find that name ridiculous, Meg.)
Tomorrow (Wednesday the 17th) there is a FREE beekeeping round table and honey tasting at the Union Square Greenmarket:
Greenmarket's Beekeeping RoundtableI am going to be there after I get a haircut! I'll try not to shed on you!
Wednesday, August 17th
6:30-8pm FREE
Bee-friend local beekeepers at a honey tasting and informational on keeping bees and harvesting honey at the Union Square Pavilion. Hear from experienced beekeepers, Greenmarket's own David Graves and Meg Paska a Brooklyn-based "Backyard Homesteader" and blogger, and taste an array of honey from light to dark varieties that result from a number of local flowers and processing techniques.
EXCITINGLY, now that I am back from vacation (still pale), I'll be hosting one of my FREE Public Hive Inspections at the Red Hook Community Farm, across the street from IKEA and starting at 11AM on August 20th. Come for the flatpacks, stay for the bees!
Starting at 11, I will go through a basic inspection for each hive, starting with a lesson on lighting a smoker, moving on to visual inspections of the comb and a short talk on what to keep your eye out for (with examples!), and finishing up with another short talk on what we should expect to see in the next inspection.
In an exciting turn of events, one of the hives may have been robbed out and destroyed by its neighbor while I was gone! Come and see the aftermath of the CARNAGE!
DID I MENTION THAT IT'S FREE!?
It's all going down at the Added Value Red Hook Community Farm, located at 3-49 Halleck St, Brooklyn, 11231.
To get there by Subway:
A/C/F train to Jay Street/Borough Hall. Exit the station and walk west to Boerum Place and Joralemon Street. Take the B61 bus going towards Red Hook. Exit the bus at the IKEA store, and the farm is across the street.
F/G to Smith and 9th Street. Exit the station to the rear of the train (there is only one exit in this station). Transfer to the B77 (right in front of the station) Take the B77 to Van Dyke and Dwight street. You'll find yourself in front of the Liberty Heights Taproom. Take a left crossing Dwight Street and proceed up Van Dyke to Red Hook Community Farm (one block walk, from the bus stop you can actually see the farm at the end of the street).
This event is taking place during the Farm's open volunteer hours, so anyone who comes out should consider sticking around for a while after the inspection to help out! I'll be sticking around for a while to answer any lingering questions and hang!
If you ARE feeling brave and want to help out, consider wearing light colored long pants and a collared shirt. I've got an extra veil I can lend out to particularly courageous volunteers!
Special thanks to Added Value for hosting this, and future, FREE PUBLIC HIVE INSPECTIONS! They're doing great work, and are always looking for volunteers. If you'd like to help them out, check out their website!
FINALLY, in a late breaking update, the NYC Beekeeping group is hosting a Sunday Morning Hive inspection in Manhattan:
Start time is 10.30am, but may shift so please check back toward the weekend. There will be an opportunity to help harvest after inspection, so bring a hat (or you'll have to wear a funny-looking shower cap in the kitchen.)It's happening Sunday, August 21, 2011 at 10:00 AM! If you want to find out where, you have to sign up at their website, or email them at nycbeekeeping@gmail.com!
ID is required to enter this location. Directions will go out to all participants - Parking may be something of a challenge even on Sunday so please allow extra time if you are driving.
Please bring your veil/jacket & hive tool if you have. Standard attire is long pants and closed shoes with socks so you can tuck in your pants.
As always, those remaining on the wait list from last time have priority for this event. If you get wait listed for this one, you'll have priority next time.
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