General Information

Beekeeping is exactly what it sounds like, the maintenance of bee communities, usually honey bees, in hives. Beekeepers (or apiarists) keep their bees in something called an “apiary.”  They often raise the bees to collect their honey, jams, pollen, beeswax, and other products for money.  Some raise queens and bees to sell to other farmers or for scientific research.  Many provide pollination services to fruit and vegetable growers. For some it’s simply a hobby or a way to be closer to nature and make a difference by keeping the bee population healthy.

Urban Beekeeping

Urban beekeeping (also known as natural beekeeping or urban apiculture or city beekeeping) is an attempt to move away from industrialized beekeeping by obtaining honey through small-scale colonies that pollinate urban gardens. It is a growing trend recently made legal in many cities where it was previously banned and is popular in major cities around the world. City bees are believed to be healthier than rural bees due to fewer pesticides and greater biodiversity though urban bees may struggle to find forage.