::Pssst:: Wanna be my apprentice?

I'm pleased as punch that YOU (yes, you!) are among the very first to know about BAABA: the Big Apple Apiary Beekeeping Apprenticeship.

What the heck is that?

Lemme tell you: The clever young men and women at the Brooklyn Grange and I have secured a roof in the Brooklyn Navy Yard to host a few dozen hives, most of which will be dedicated to helping new volunteer beekeepers get the hands-on experience they'll need to become WICKED SWEET beekeepers. And YOU can apply for a spot!

Here's the full description of the program, and how to apply. And hop to it, we're reading applications as they come in!

Big Apple Apiary Beekeeping Apprenticeship

Brand new rooftop apiary seeks 12 volunteer beekeeping apprentices for the 2012 bee season (April through October or November). Working in small teams, our apprentices will gain hands-on experience in both basic and advanced beekeeping techniques, with a focus on treatment-free and organic beekeeping, and have the opportunity to pay it forward and mentor next year’s students.

About
This 20 hive apiary – poised on an expansive rooftop in the historic Brooklyn Navy Yard – will play host to NYC’s first hands-on beekeeping training program. Through education and outreach we aim to foster an inclusive community of new beekeepers and arm them with the tools they need to play an active role of the long-term sustainability of our city. The apiary is a joint project of Brooklyn Grange Farm and Timothy O’Neal of Borough Bees.

Benefits & Responsibilities
Our apprenticeship program is structured to give you all the first-hand knowledge you need to start a beehive of your own on your roof, community garden, or backyard. We will provide teams of two to three apprentices with several beehives, beekeeping equipment, basic safety gear, and close guidance through a season of hive management in a small group setting. Our goal is to give you the training you need to apply your knowledge independently by the end of the season, and leave prepared to be a mentor to new beekeepers next year. We’ll also arrange for a few field trips and special guests throughout the season to welcome you into the greater beekeeping community in New York City and beyond.

Apprentices will work directly with experienced beekeepers and gain hands-on experience that covers the gamut of beekeeping tasks: basic hive inspections, pest identification and management, swarm prevention, requeening, combining and splitting hives, and honey harvesting. You’ll also learn about more advanced techniques like cell size regression, queen breeding, and managing top-bar colonies.

Apprentices are required to devote an average of 3-4 weekend hours per week to the maintenance of their hives. On a typical weekend the instructor will give a quick, hands-on lesson (30-60min) using a demonstration hive on what to look out for at that point in the season, at which point apprentices will break into small teams to inspect their own hives under supervision from the instructor. Teams are responsible for maintaining close records of hive conditions and manipulations. Some heavy lifting required, must be able to climb 4 flights of stairs and work in all weather.

Who We’re Looking For
This is not a beekeeping 101 course; ideal candidates will be able to demonstrate some degree of knowledge, but hands-on experience isn’t necessary. We’re a brand-new program so we need people with a sense of humor, patience, and a willingness to help us find ways to improve as we go!

Benefits
In addition to the valuable hands-on training using provided equipment, we may be able to provide starter bee colonies to apprentices who successfully complete the whole program, to start their own hives next year. Students will get a portion of the honey harvest - but be aware that first-year hives sometimes produce little or no harvestable honey. This is a fantastic opportunity for anyone who’s interested in getting started managing their own bees and giving back to the larger community.

How to Apply
Please respond to bigappleapiary@gmail.com no later than March 21st with an email telling us about yourself and your interest in the apprenticeship. We will be reviewing applications as they are received. No resume necessary, creative applications encouraged.

We encourage teams of two to three to apply together. Those who do not apply in teams will be paired with other selected applicants. Youth, members of under-served communities, and people from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Applicants who will be available during the work week, or with an interest in queen breeding and genetics will be given special consideration.

You could spend your time like this!

Well, this is probably a bit more accurate.

Or this.

Or this.  Bees errywhere.
Oh.
Yes.

THIS COULD BE YOU!

Weekly 101 (3/6/12)

First Tuesday of the month? You know what that means!

There's a free monthly New York City Beekeeper's Association meeting tonight!

March 6th
Beekeeping in Kenya

New York Times photographer Andrew Sullivan and Cecilia Lee, along with NYCBA's Norm and Andrew Coté, will present a Power Point presentation and discussion on their January 2012 beekeeping trip to Africa, where they worked with different tribal beekeepers within the Rift Valley, and a stingless bee along the coast during this Bees Without Borders trip.

www.nyc-bees.org

As always, it's being held at the Seafarers & International House, 123 East 15th Street, and starts at 7PM.

Weekly 101 (2/21/12)

Been a while since I've done one of these, eh? Lucky for you, there's a bunch of good stuff happening this week and next!

Firstly, I'm teaching my BEST EVER Beekeeping 101 Course at the Brooklyn Brainery, starting on the 23rd of February. I've been reading some fancy new literature and rejiggering some of my explanations, so expect to learn a lot of nifty information in nifty ways.

If you were on the fence about keeping bees this year, now is the time to jump. This will probably be the last section of Beekeeping 101 that I'll teach this season before I throw myself into new and exciting projects. (Apprenticeship program!)

Check it out here: http://brooklynbrainery.com/courses/beekeeping-101 $50


For those of you who have bees already or just have a passing curiosity, the Backwards Beekeepers of NYC are hosting a Wax Processing Demo at the Brooklyn Brainery on February 27th, starting at 8:30PM!

Please join the Backward Beekeepers of NYC for a wax processing workshop! We will be doing a cooking show style demo plus bee trivia with prizes!!

We will be covering all the live steps in rendering beeswax from the hive so it can be used in various applications, including candles, salves, furniture polish and starter strips for foundation on foundationless hives.

Open to beekeepers and folks who would love to learn more!

Hope to see you there:)

For more info and to stay in touch:
http://www.facebook.com/BackwardsBeekeepersNYC
http://twitter.com/beebeenyc
http://BackwardsBeekeepersNYC.blogspot.com/

AND it's FREE.

YES, THE BEES!


Continuing the excitment, Meg Paska, another co-founder of the Backwards Beekeepers of NYC is teaching Beekeeping 101 at TWO locations in March!

In Midtown!

If you have a sunny yard or rooftop and 15 minutes a week, you could be harvesting honey from your own bee hive! Learn the basics of first-year beekeeping, including honeybee anatomy and hierarchy, hive assembly, feeding, re-queening, and swarm prevention. This course is guaranteed to get you hooked on honeybees. Please bring lunch to the Saturday field trip.

Classroom Hours: 9

$213 for members, 191 for non-members.

http://conted.nybg.org:8080/WebModule/jsp/ed2df.jsp?df1=slayout&df5=123GAR347B&df7=course__122GAR347

In Bushwick!

Beekeeping isn’t just for farmers anymore! Learn the ins-and-outs of keeping bees in an urban environment. Maintaining an apiary is easier than you think - all one needs is a relatively accessible rooftop with a lot of sun, 15 minutes a week and tolerance for the occasional sting. With some patience, you can harvest your own distinctive, local honey and contribute to the pollination of your community’s flora!

In spite of what you might think, Honeybees thrive in urban areas like New York City. With an abundance of flowering trees and weeds, pollinators have their pick of as much nectar and pollen as any country bee might. In addition, they don’t come into contact with pesticides like rural bees do, so colonies tend to be healthier.

In this class you will learn about honeybee anatomy and behavior, hive function and construction, neighborly relations, urban beekeeping pros and cons, disease and pests, legality and safety and much more. You will leave this class with enough understanding and confidence to start your own colony in the Spring.

Basic/Custom Member Price: $80
Nonmember Price: $100

http://www.3rdward.com/3rdwardclasses/rooftop-beekeeping-101.html

What is the difference between Meg's class and mine you may ask? I'm not sure, but they both rock. Go to the one that's most convenient!

Also, she is a girl.

I am not.

Weekly 101 (10/13/11)

YESSSSSSSSSSSS.

While I may be swamped at work and otherwise, I made time specifically for this.

It's time for the second ever meeting of the Backwards Beekeepers of NYC!

Our October Backwards Beekeepers of NYC meeting is on Thursday the 13th for 7-9pm at 61 Local, the fine establishment in Cobble Hill. They've been kind enough to let us use their wonderful event space for the meeting, and then after we will be enjoying beers, refreshments and other tasty treats down in their bar! Come by, get to know your fellow beekeepers. If you aren't a beekeeper yourself but are interested in becoming one, or hosting a hive for a wanna-bee, you should come by and get involved! All are welcome.

During the actual meeting Megan Paska and I will take turns chatting the room up about our bees, the upside to urban beekeeping and methods of managing bees without the use of chemical inputs. There will be ample time for Q&A and we'll discuss what the future of the club holds! This is only our second meeting so there's tons of room for growth and participation!

61 Local is located at 61 Bergen Street off of the F and the G line (Bergen St.)

ZZZB.

Meg is going to talk about the basic tenets of Backwards Beekeeping; why we exist, why we don't believe that chemicals, pesticides, or treatments of any kind have a place in our hives, and why they might not have a place in yours either.

I'm going to be talking about a specific treatment free beekeeping method: a structured small cell regression. I'm going to cover my research on the subject, the arguments I've heard for and against it, and my experiences actually going ahead and doing it over the last year.

Backwards Beekeepers of NYC
Thursday, October 13th
7PM
61 Local
61 Bergen St, Brooklyn

Bring your drinkin' shoes.


If you're in Williamsburg and need something to do over the weekend, I'll be at the Harvest Festival Hoedown, hosted by City Life Wellness. Starting at Noon on Saturday, October 15th, I'll be giving a short talk on basic beekeeping information, skills, and practices. There's a suggested donation of $5, so please come out and help keep me in hives.

There's a joke in there, somewhere.

I'll also (hopefully) have some honey from Ralph Gaeta and Mizz Beehavin' Apiary FOR SALE. They took home second place in the NYC Honey Festival Honey Tasting, and I helped them extract another 50 pounds of the stuff over the weekend. It's dark, malty, and delicious. If you buy some, you can put it in your mouth.

Or my mouth, if you're into that sort of thing.

Harvest Festival Hoedown
Saturday, October 15th
12PM (Noon)
Meeker Avenue Vintage and Antique Warehouse
75 Frost St, Brooklyn

Weekly 101 (10/4/11)

It's that time of the month again.

Yeah.

First Tuesday of the month.

That means it's time for... A MEETING WITH THE NYC BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION! Hooray!

Michael Leung is the founder and creative director of HK Honey - an organisation of Hong Kong beekeepers, artists and designers that aim to communicate the value of bees and benefits of locally produced honey.

Michael will be sharing his stories of how he became Hong Kong's first urban beekeeper, showing us how he mixes beekeeping with design and how he markets and brands his honey and beekeeping related products in Hong Kong.

www.hkhoney.org

Tuesday, October 4th
7pm-9pm
Seafarers & International House
123 East 15th Street

OH YEAH.

I've been seeing a lot of Michael lately; he's been hanging out with my friends Meg Paska, the Brooklyn Homesteader, and Chase Emmons, the head beekeeper of the Brooklyn Grange. He was a huge help at the NYC Honey Festival. This is going to be a really interesting talk, and while I am sorry that I cannot make it, you should show up and tell him that Tim sent you.

DO IT FOR ME, WILL YOU!?


But have no fear, for even if you must miss this sweet meeting, you can always come join me for my FREE PUBLIC HIVE INSPECTION at the Added Value Community Farm in Red Hook, this Saturday at 11AM.

Taken with actual film.
None of that instagram crap here.
c2011, Michael Leung

I won't tell you what is going to happen, but I will tell you that it will be exciting either way. YES SIRREE BOB!  My car is in the shop, so I will be chauffeured by my lovely assistant, Emily Vaughn.  You'll get to meet her!  Ask her questions!  See her play with bees!  EXCITING!

I'll be there bright and early, rip-roarin' to go, and I'll start the talk and demo at 11AM or SOON THEREAFTER. Be on time! Get there early! Get your hands dirty on the farm! The demo will take place during open volunteer hours, so stick around afterwards! YES!

P.S. 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, and I'll be starting the inspection at 11AM on Saturday, October 8th.

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.
R to 4th Ave/9th St. Take the B61 bus going towards Red Hook/IKEA on 9th st. Exit the bus at the IKEA store, and the farm is across the street.

Weekly 101 (9/29/11): Birthday Edition

This weekend there are many ways for you to come and visit me and my bees in Brooklyn!

Hooray! 

Inspection in Red Hook
c2011, Alex Brown

Because it is my birthday this week, I am mixing things up and taking Friday off to host a FREE Public Hive Inspection at the Added Value Community Farm in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Hint: It's across the street from IKEA. Getchu some meatballs in your face and getchu some bees in your hands. It's what we call a win-win situation in my business.

This week's inspection is going to be particularly exciting. If you have read Part One and Part Two of Queenright in Red Hook and would like to skip ahead and see the (hopefully) awesome conclusion of the saga, COME OUT TO RED HOOK on FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30th. I won't know the ending either, and I wasn't able to do it last week because of the damn rain, so I'm SUPER STOKED to find out!

I'll be there bright and early, rip-roarin' to go, and I'll start the talk and demo at 11AM or SOON THEREAFTER. Be on time! Get there early! Get your hands dirty on the farm! The demo will take place during open volunteer hours, so stick around afterwards! YES!

P.S. 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, and I'll be starting the inspection at 11AM.

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.
R to 4th Ave/9th St. Take the B61 bus going towards Red Hook/IKEA on 9th st. Exit the bus at the IKEA store, and the farm is across the street.

ALSO:
I will be manning a table at the New New York Green Block Party in Williamsburg, this Saturday, October 1st. I'm going to have live bees with me in my observation hive, lots of free fliers with basic bee facts, and a whole bunch of time on my hands to answer all your most burning beekeeping questions.

Join us Saturday, October 1 from 11am to 5pm on North 11th St (Wythe/Berry) in Williamsburg for a green block party with vendors, tours, food, and fun! Attending the fair, and many of our extra activities, is free. We are also hosting an After Party (34 Berry parking lot) complete with beer and a screening of a urban agriculture documentary followed by a Hollywood blockbuster. Check out the schedule for more info.

The Idea Behind the Event

The NEW New York is GreenHomeNYC’s revolutionary interpretation of the typical New York block party. Street fairs and block parties are an intrinsic part of the New York City summer experience, bringing neighborhoods together, culture to the streets, celebrations and joy to the public spaces of our city. The NEW New York re-invents this tradition to bring home — right to the front stoop — ideas for greening our built environment for the residents of the city.

A core component of the event is to use the streetscape and surroundings as a “classroom.” In addition to leaving behind a block transformed with examples of a greener city, such as a newly planted tree, activities will be tied into the immediate environs, such as tours of a nearby green building. The day’s activities will be multifaceted, incorporating educational workshops covering a wide array of topics, hands-on demonstrations by exhibitors, and, tours of green buildings, companies, and local natural resources. Activities will benefit anyone on the green spectrum from curious to committed, including youth.

The event will take place annually each autumn and occupy one street block. Last year we took over Third Street between Bond and Hoyt in the Carroll Gardens / Gowanus Canal neighborhood of Brooklyn. This year we are in Williamsburg on N 11th Street at Wythe — in front of Brooklyn Brewery and around the corner from Brooklyn Bowl!

Perhaps next year we will be in your neighborhood!

I had a lot of fun doing this last year and really enjoyed talking to y'all.  Come out again and ask more questions!  I like it!

P.S.  If something else is burning, you should see your doctor.

P.P.S.  Please don't show it to me. I am not your doctor.

Weekly 101 (9/21/11)

Back to my regularly scheduled programming, I will be hosting a FREE Public Hive Inspection at the Added Value Community Farm in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Hint: It's across the street from IKEA. Getchu some meatballs in your face and getchu some bees in your hands. It's what we call a win-win situation in my business.

This week's inspection is going to be particularly exciting. If you read Part One of Queenright in Red Hook and would like to skip ahead and see the (hopefully) awesome conclusion of the saga, COME OUT TO RED HOOK on SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24th. I won't know the ending either, so I'm SUPER EXCITED to find out!

I'll be there bright and early, rip-roarin' to go, and I'll start the talk and demo at 11AM or SOON THEREAFTER. Be on time! Get there early! Get your hands dirty on the farm! The demo will take place during open volunteer hours, so stick around afterwards! YES!

P.S. 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, and I'll be starting the inspection at 11AM.

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.
R to 4th Ave/9th St. Take the B61 bus going towards Red Hook/IKEA on 9th st. Exit the bus at the IKEA store, and the farm is across the street.

For my more well-heeled readers, there is an exciting event going on TONIGHT, Wednesday, September 21st.

[The] Brooklyn Historical Society (BHS) is celebrating Brooklyn’s burgeoning local food and sustainability movement at its Brooklyn Bounty cocktail party,Wednesday, September 21, 2011 from 6:30-9:30 p.m.

“This year we are evolving the traditional cocktail party concept into a more meaningful evening that is deeply rooted in Brooklyn’s rich agrarian heritage,” said BHS President Deborah Schwartz. According to Marc Linder, author of Of Cabbages and Kings County: Agriculture and the Formation of Modern Brooklyn, through the end of the late nineteenth-century, Brooklyn was the country’s second largest producer of vegetables. This year’s Bounty is a celebration of Brooklyn’s past as well as the contemporary sustainable foods movement in the borough.

The event will include:
• Tastings of food from Brooklyn growers, chefs, and purveyors who have been given the challenge of utilizing a locally grown or produced ingredient in their dishes
• Historical cocktails by Brooklyn mixologists
• Food stories told by Brooklynites from neighborhoods far and wide
• A viewing of historical and new maps and materials related to local food and agriculture
• A creative silent auction of unique Brooklyn prizes and experiences
• Music by The Blue Vipers of Brooklyn
• And… the FIRST Brooklyn Food Awards, which will pay tribute to those Brooklynites who have contributed to our borough’s sustainability movement.

The evening will include food by local chefs from Egg, Fornino, iCi, Purple Yam, and many more. Chefs are featured each week in our Brooklyn Bounty Blog in an ongoing series. In addition to a tasting menu by local chefs, the event will include a mouth-watering mix of local products from favorite local businesses including ice cream from Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, goodies from Kumquat Cupcakery, seasonal beers from Brooklyn Brewery, wine from Red Hook Wineries and coffee from Brewklyn Grind.

GUESS WHO IS ONE OF THE ITEMS IN THE SILENT AUCTION!?

Oh yes.

Beekeeper For A Day, with me! I'll take the winning bidder (and a guest!) around Brooklyn for some HANDS ON EXPERIENCE as a beekeeper. We'll get our hands dirty in the Added Value Red Hook Community Farm hives, as well as in my personal hives (my babies!) in Fort Greene. We'll likely finish up enjoying a tasty local brew with the bees as we talk about...

Wait for it...

BEES!

YES!

You can buy tickets for the cocktail party, being held at the Brooklyn Historical Society in downtown Brooklyn, HERE. They're pricy, but if it's any motivation, I will be there answering questions in an ever increasing state of inebriation.

Or not.

I'm reasonable.

I'm also really excited about bees!

Also, I'll be wearing a bow tie.

Do it. You know you want to.

For more info, check out the Brooklyn Bounty blog at: brooklynbounty.org

Weekly 101 (9/16/11)

Well, so I won't be hosting an inspection at Added Value this Saturday. But babies, don't you panic; you can get your beekeeping fix this Saturday at the FIRST ANNUAL NYC HONEY FESTIVAL!

I sure do like bees.  And festivals.
I REALLY like festivals.
Carnies everywhere.
That isn't true.

YES!

Come down to the Rockaway Beach Boardwalk at 96th St to check out more beekeeping activities and events than you can shake a package at.

Over the course of the day, we will be hosting:
LIVE EXTRACTION DEMOS!
BEEKEEPING 101 Q&A!
COOKING DEMOS HOSTED BY GROWING CHEFS!
HONEY TASTINGS!
SPECIAL BREWS FROM SIX POINT!
LIVE BEES!
AND MORE!

I AM PRETTY EXCITED!

Even better, if you are a local beekeeper, enter your honey into our Honey Tasting! The link to sign up is HERE! The honey deemed the best by our judges will receive prizes.

Good prizes.

An 8 frame copper top hive, donated by Brushy Mountain Bee Farm!
-and-
A matching 8 frame Ultimate Hive Stand, donated by Bee Smart Designs!

The Grand Prize for Best Local Honey!

Photo from www.BrushyMountainBeeFarm.com

PLUS, a sweet new Ultimate Hive Stand from Bee Smart Designs.
Jealous.  Ugh.

Honestly, I'm just sad that I can't enter.

So come out and say "Hi!" Meet some bees! Meet some beekeepers! See what all the buzz is about!

NYC Honey Festival
Rockaway Beach Boardwalk @ 96th St
Saturday, September 17th
10AM to 6PM
www.NYCHoneyFest.com

Weekly 101 (9/2/11)

First, a message from Meg Paska

Hey Everyone!

Happy Friday! I'm very glad to report that everyone at Newton Farm was kept safe from the destructive, deadly flooding in Greene County caused by Irene this week. There was quite a bit of flooding at the farm but Lynn, Cindy and Co were able to salvage a ton of produce. Beyond that, we are fortunate that our farm is situated on very well drained soil so we expect many of the root crops to be just fine.

I am writing because I just received a call from Lynn that she will be back in BK with a HUGE haul of produce that we will need to sell ASAP! Please come by the Renegade CSA to purchase some and support the farm. We will be on N11th street near Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, situated behind The Bedford (a restaurant and bar that serves our produce). We'll be out on the stoop drinking wine and marveling at how great it is to be alive!

We will also have with us:
- LOADS of heirloom tomatoes
- wonderful, crisp cucumbers
- tender collards
- massive bins of fresh herbs
- heirloom squash
- sweet corn
- potatoes
- beans
- soybean free, organic eggs

If you purchase any of our $20 CSA bags in the past and would like to pick one up tonight, bring a tote bag with you and we will honor that arrangement. It will include a half dozen eggs, and an assortment of greens, veggies and herbs.

It is also worth noting that there are many other farms in the area that were far less fortunate than we were. Please consider checking out this link on how you can help farmers and residents effected by the devastation Irene caused. Clothing, supplies, non-perishable food and monetary donations are all needed to help the families and businesses that have lost everything because of the flooding this week. We will have a box for clothing and non-perishable donations that will be dropped off by our farmers upon our return to the farm.

Thank you for your time and we hope to see many of you this evening!

Lynn is great, and so is Newton farm, so you should come out TONIGHT, say 'Hi!' and support local, healthy, sustainable, organic agriculture and beekeeping. Upstate New York took all the shit from Irene that we didn't, so come and lend a hand!


If you can't make it tonight, you should come out to the Added Value Red Hook Community Farm tomorrow for a FREE public hive inspection. The bees survived Irene, and so I'm going to be doing my first post-hurricane inspection, making sure that everyone is healthy, happy, and productive. I'll also be moving the hives back to their regular stands, so I could use some help lifting because I am a giant weakling.

Feel free to bring your own beekeeping gear and actively participate in the inspection. I love hosting guest beekeepers of all ages and experiences!

If you can, you should plan to stick around and help out at the farm after the inspection! They got hit pretty hard by Irene and could use all the hands they can get to help clean up and get the farm productive again. Hope to see you there!

P.S. 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, and I'll be starting the inspection at 11AM.

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).

Finally, the NYC Beekeepers Association is hosting a free beekeeping talk on Tuesday, September 6th.

Welcome back bee lovers!

Join the NYCBA on September 6th at the usual place at 7PM. This month's speaker is NYPD's beekeeper, Tony "Bees" Planakis. Tony will regale us with his tellings of life as NYPD's beekeeper. From the 1970's when Tony started keeping bees with his father in Connecticut after the two of them spent a summer in Crete learning about beekeeping, which was a family tradition for the Planakis clan. Tony kept up with the bees as a teenager, and after a stint in the army, joined the NYPD and continued to work bees, large and small scale, until the present day. Most recently Tony has enjoyed some high profile sting operations in Chinatown and Little Italy, where he has captured swarms from mailboxes and lampposts, sometimes with some help from various NYCBA regulars.

Also, Honeydrop (www.Honeydrop.com) will be providing honey based beverages for everybody, so, come thirsty and drink up.

One and all always welcome in our urban hive.

Tuesday, September 6th
7pm-9pm
Seafarers & International House
123 East 15th Street

I probably won't be able to make it since I have to pick up my CSA, but it should be a really interesting talk. Tony was the beekeeper who rescued the bees from the damaged colony in Fort Greene Park, as recently featured in the NY Times.

Also, it's free. Hooray!

Weekly 101 (8/16/11)

I HAVEN'T DONE ONE OF THESE IN AGES OH GOD SO MUCH TO DO THIS WEEK!

The time has arrived! The first meeting of the NYC chapter of the Backwards Beekeepers is here!

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!

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!

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 Roundtable
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.

I am going to be there after I get a haircut! I'll try not to shed on you!


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.)

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.

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!

Weekly 101 (7/5/11)

It's a busy time in Beekeeping! There are 5 great events going on this week!

In lieu of my regular hive inspection, I offer you this.  Same location, more convenient time!

Calling all beekeepers and wanna-bees! We've got an exciting weekend of bee-ness coming up in early July. Kirk Anderson from the Backwards Beekeepers (Los Angeles) is coming to NYC to wax philosophical about treatment-free beekeeping and letting bees be bees. These are two aspects of the method of apiary management that he and his club practice known as "Backwards Beekeeping." I'm a big fan of Kirk's and I'm sure you will be too. Check out this video to see him in action in Los Angeles!

Joining us for a 1PM lecture at Brooklyn Brainery on Saturday, July 9th, will be Sam Comfort from Anarchy Apiaries in the Hudson Valley. After the talk, we'll walk over to Added Value's Red Hook Community Farm around 3:30 for some hive inspections and demos. Tim O'Neal from Borough Bees will also be there as he has been kind enough to let us take a look at some of his hives!

On Sunday , July 10th, Kirk and I will be over at Eagle Street Rooftop Farm for a 2pm workshop on ways to propagate bees naturally and a Q&A session on Backwards Beekeeping. Eagle St will be hosting an Ice Cream Social Fundraiser after, and then the Honeysuckle Rosies will be hosting another Bees N' Beers at 4PM in Greenpoint to allow all the beekeepers who attended to talk shop and share ideas (and of course drink some beerskis in the process!)

Best of all, the events are free. So come out, open up your mind and get ready to let the bees get in yr brains! :)

Yup... This is going to be good. I am going to be at all four events (Brainery, Red Hook, Eagle Street, and Bees N' Beers) so come out, say hi, and learn a metric shit-ton about alternative beekeeping practices.

While my own personal beekeeping style is somewhat more conservative than that practiced by Misters Anderson and Comfort, I am seriously looking forward to learning about their techniques and picking their brains.


Finally, the NYC Beekeeping Group is offering a small group hive inspection this Saturday, July 9th, from 9-Noon:

Been waiting to get a taste of hands-on beekeeping?

Been to class and ready to experience the real thing, but no hives of your own?

Hives of your own, but got questions and want the benefit of an experienced eye?


Here's an opportunity to join us for a guided inspection of a Community Apiary -

We have a limited number of open spots for this session.

Those waitlisted will have priority for the next one.


Please email with any questions: nycbeekeeping@gmail.com

Thanks!

As always with the NYC Beekeeping Group, the event is free and is likely to be very enlightening!

Weekly 101 (6/3/11)

Bees! You can meet them this Sunday! At the Eagle St. Rooftop Farm in Greenpoint!

2 PM - 3 PM

Beekeeping with Brooklyn Homesteader

Join Megan Paska of BrooklynHomesteader as she discusses the start up, set up and spring activity of our three beehives. Whether you're a beeginner (oh yes we did) or a beekeeper with Q's for our Miss Meg, you'll get 'em answered

It's free, and you can check out their greenmarket while you're there! Follow the link for more details!

Rooftopfarms.org


On Tuesday, the NYC Beekeepers Association is hosting one of their monthly lectures:

Beekeeping: Local and Global

NYCBA will have double the fun on Tuesday, June 7, when Peace Corps beekeepers Dan Carr and Lebohang Moore share their international beekeeping experience.

Dan Carr is a beekeeper at Stone Barns, an 80-acre nonprofit farm and education center located in Pocantico Hills, New York, 25 miles north of Manhattan.

Dan is a Colorado native and holds a bachelor's degree in history and political science from the University of Montana. After working on a Scottish dairy farm through the World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) program, Dan spent three years in Malawi as an Agriculture/Environment Peace Corps volunteer. While in Malawi, he fell in love with keeping bees and confirmed the notion that he wanted to spend the rest of his life working the land. Dan will share photos from his Malawi beekeeping days, discuss how he cares for the bees and livestock at Stone Barns, and reveal what it's like working with a cool chef and environmentalist (we are fans of both Dan's, Carr and Barber).

We are also pleased to welcome Lebohang Moore, a graduate of Marymount Manhattan College (B.F.A., Dance Performance) who was a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia and Peru. He now works in Zambia with Tiny Tim and Friends, an NGO that supports HIV-positive children through organic farming and an animal husbandry training program. Lebohang will talk to us about beekeeping in Bolivia and Zambia, including different markets, honey harvest methods, and use of traditional and new hives.


*Help sustain the NYCBA hive by renewing your annual membership. This event is $5 for non-members.*

Tuesday, June 7th
7pm-9pm
Seafarers & International House
123 East 15th Street

$5? International Beekeeping? Totally worth it!


As for me, I'll be at the Added Value Farm in Red Hook this Saturday, giving another one of my FREE Public Hive Inspections!

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.

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 here!

Weekly 101 (Bees Are Finally Here Edition)

As you may have gathered from my previous post and the title of this post, we have active hives again! Hooray!

In terms of bee events going on around the city, this means that there is going to be a shift from theoretical/classroom based events to practical/field/hands-on classes, seminars, and talks.

Still, there isn't a whole lot going on this week.

WITH ONE EXCEPTION!!!

I am going to be hosting my first FREE PUBLIC HIVE INSPECTION at the Added Value Farm in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The nucs have been installed into their new homes and they'll be ready for their first inspection this Saturday, May 21st, at 1 PM. Everyone is welcome to attend and watch me work the bees. If you're feeling courageous and have a veil, you're welcome to participate and get some hands on experience with guidance from an experienced beekeeper! (Me!)

Starting at 1 PM, 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.

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!

Swedish meatball afterparty anyone?

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 here!