How many cities and towns, mega-urban metropolises, major urban population centers and anywhere else you can think of that until just recently used to ban bees, beekeepers and beekeeping within their confines have had a change of heart, an attack of common sense or a seismic shift in rational behavior and now, today, will let you have bees in the backyard, in the garden, on the roof, fire escape, empty lot across the street, community garden, behind the garage or almost anywhere you want to keep bees? How many? And how many have taken advantage of this turn of events and now have bees where bees have never been? Let’s try and find out, should we? Let’s see where the bees are now. Here’s the deal. I write an occasional article – some call it a blog – for a web site hosted by Hearst Communications. They publish a boatload of web sites, plus magazines like Cosmopolitan, Country Living, Good Housekeeping, Town and Country, Popular Mechanics, Esquire and others. They are fairly big players in the publishing business, and their sites get pretty heavy traffic because of all the exposure they get in their magazines. thedailygreen.com isn’t a magazine though. It’s a stand alone web page that has as its focus 'green', and all that implies in today’s environmentally sensitive world. They were ahead of the curve when they started, and are doing a good job at what they do, at least in my opinion. They asked me to make some contributions on Colony Collapse Disorder aimed at both the non-beekeeping and beekeeping readership they have, back when it first became news, and for about two years I sent along something nearly every week. The blog is called 'The Beekeeper' and it’s on the front page sometimes, and buried somewhere sometimes but usually on the 'News' page. There’s no accounting for location, but there’s a search box on the top right (usually) that works. Type in The Beekeeper and a list of articles comes up. I’ve done some that aren’t on CCD, which are the most fun, and generally get the best response. Anyway, the Editor, Dan Shapley and I were talking recently. There was a new CCD paper out in early August that I reviewed for the column, for the BUZZ and for here. It was the first news on CCD in quite awhile, so it was news, even though there wasn’t anything newsy in it. Which is, in its way, news. But I digress. I wondered if he was interested in something on the monumental growth of city bees and beekeepers and one thing led to another, and below is what we came up with. We’d really like to see where you have city bees, how it’s working out, and anything else that will help other city folks do a better job. Here’s the release we sent out to his group, the CATCH THE BUZZ list, and some others. And now you…take a look. • Bee Culture Magazine and thedailygreen.com want to celebrate the incredible explosion of City Beekeepers. We want all urban dwellers with beehives and beesuits, with hive tools and smokers, with supers and covers and frames galore to stand and be counted, to be recognized and noticed. We want everyone with five frame, eight frame, ten frame or top bar hives to raise their hands to the sky and shout here I am! We want every and all of America’s backyard, roof top, window box, fire escape, empty lot, and anywhere else in the city honey-makers to join the hive and let the world know you’re alive. Let’s get everyone with every hive, in every large or small, crowded or sparse asphalt landscape in towns and cities, suburbs and gardens of America’s everywhere and anywhere to share what they do, show what they grow, and take pride in their work, their passion and their hobby. It’s no matter if you just started or are already seasoned in city bees. And if it’s not Kosher to keep bees where you are, we won’t tell, we won’t share because we don’t care…we only want the world to know there are thousands who are working to make the bees at home. Thousands who want only the bees, only the peace, only the gentle gift of helping things grow. If this is you, if this is your time, send us a photo, a gift to share with those who share with you, especially those who do what you do. Send a high quality photo, 50 or so well chosen words about your specific, or general location and operation…depending on you, your neighbors and the law of the land where you live. We need contact information so we can get back to you (an email is just fine) if there’s a question so we get it right the first time. Please send all this to Dan Shapley, the web and news guru at thedailygreen.com at dshapley@hearst.com. He’s a whiz at making all this work. When you send your photos and descriptions, you give thedailygreen.com and Bee Culture the right to publish the material and share it with their partners. For details, visit www.thedailygreen.com/bee-photos. Friends, it’s time for the bees. Help us show what you do and how you do it. It’s only for those who have, and those who want bees. Be part of the Revolution. UrbanBees Now! So there you have it. We’ll put your photos and short story on their web page and ours, and in the magazine for a few issues so new beekeepers and experienced beekeepers and wannabee beekeepers can look and learn. If we find a story, we’ll be in touch and help expand it so even more will have access to what you do. • Colony Collapse Disorder research continues. Researchers in August released the newest finding in a lengthy paper that looked at the relationship of toxins, diseases and other factors. Below is their summary. We initiated a descriptive epizootiological study in order to better characterize CCD and compare risk factor exposure between populations afflicted by and not afflicted by CCD. Methods and Principal Findings: Of 61 quantified variables (including adult bee physiology, pathogen loads, and pesticide levels), no single measure emerged as a most-likely cause of CCD. Bees in CCD colonies had higher pathogen loads and were co-infected with a greater number of pathogens than control populations, suggesting either an increased exposure to pathogens or a reduced resistance of bees toward pathogens. Levels of the synthetic acaricide coumaphos (used by beekeepers to control the parasitic mite Varroa destructor) were higher in control colonies than CCD-affected colonies. Conclusions/Significance: This is the first comprehensive survey of CCD-affected bee populations that suggests CCD involves an interaction between pathogens and other stress factors. We present evidence that this condition is contagious or the result of exposure to a common risk factor. Potentially important areas for future hypothesis-driven research, including the possible legacy effect of mite parasitism and the role of honey bee resistance to pesticides, are highlighted. Read the entire paper at:http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0006481 • Finally, if you’re a city beekeeper, in a new city or old, a big city or small town, share what you do, show what you know, and let the whole world see the best in UrbanBees. Today.
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