A Bee Grows In Brooklyn

Brooklyn beekeeper at work

Bees not trees are growing in Brooklyn these days.  Intrepid Brooklynites are keeping bees on brownstone rooftops in Fort Greene and perched on top of  tenements and commercial buildings from Greenpoint to Bushwick.

These rooftop adventurers are doing their bit to save the planet while providing locals with fabulous home grown Brooklyn honey. What’s not to like?

City bees feast on a wide range of  flowering plants concentrated in city gardens, alleys, parks and vacant lots giving a unique taste and color to the local product– so much so that restaurateurs and foodies are now getting in on the act.

Beekeeping in Brooklyn is becoming chic, cutting edge and increasingly popular. That is, as Martha would say, a good thing.  Because, as Brooklyn goes, so goes the world…. or at least the other four boroughs of New York City. And that is a very good thing as the bees really need all the help they can get.

By now we’ve all heard about about the mystery of the disappearing honeybees. I’ve blogged before about the fact that in North America  alone, there has been a decline of up to 70% in the honey bee population  since people started counting in 2006.

Disappearing Bees

Nobody knows why, but the bees are just disappearing all over the world.  It’s making life hard for farmers and gardeners and if it doesn’t stop it could make life hard for us all by endangering the food supply. No bees.  No pollination. No food. No us. It’s very simple.  So, all of us, even those of us who don’t live in Brooklyn, should be grateful to the urban beekeepers  who are doing their part to keep honeybees from becoming extinct.

Ironically, it is actually illegal to keep bees in New York City, but all that may

Do your part to prevent disappearing bees photo: young einstein, Flickr. Thank you.

be about to change. I hope it will as the beekeepers  are doing an enormous service for us all.   The New York City Council is considering a proposal which would remove bees from a list of “wild animals” that are currently illegal to possess, own, harbor and sell.  I hope they get on with it. Far from being criminals, these people are doing  New York City a big fat favor. It would be good for  urban beekeepers to be able to be open and above board about what they are doing and not fear building inspectors, landlords, or wrathful, bee fearing neighbors.

But legal or not, rooftop urban beekeeping is definitely on the rise.   According to John Howe, the godfather of Brooklyn beekeeping, when he started the Brooklyn Beekeepers Meet Up group in 2006 there were only two beekeepers in all of  Brooklyn. Today, the group encompasses all five boroughs and  boasts more than 400 members.  I’ve included a link to their website. Go have a look.  If the Brooklyn beekeepers are any indication, honeybees are going to be around in Brooklyn for a long time.