Article: Building the perfect urban beehive
Man-made beehives haven’t really changed much for centuries, mostly because beekeeping was always something that happened in rural areas. But beekeeping, like produce farming and even livestock keeping, is moving into cities – and urban apiculturists are struggling with the best ways to adapt beekeeping to the city…
As an educational tool, beekeeping has a lot to recommend it: students keeping hives get a direct education in the complex relationships of natural systems, and insight into food production. Added lessons may focus on bees’ creation of around $15 billion in added crop value, or the fact that “about one mouthful in three in the diet directly or indirectly benefits from honey bee pollination.” And, finally, they’ll pick up a skill with economic value as demand for local honey is very strong.
The Woodland Community Apiary in Western Philadelphia plans to teach all of these lessons and more as a part of its youth beekeeping project.