Pittsburgh's Burgh Bees creates a buzz about urban beekeeping

July 4, 12:58 PMPittsburgh Gardening Scene ExaminerRose Field

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Feral bee photo courtesy Burgh Bees/by Gary Grelli

Could urban beekeeping be part of the solution to the city's derelict vacant lot problem? Burgh Bees, an organization comprised of a handful of dedicated local urban beekeepers, is working on this and other innovative ideas. By teaching people about bees, mentoring new beekeepers and establishing a community apiary, similar to the concept of the shared community gardens that now utilize some vacant lots, the group hopes to further environmental sustainability.

Ecologically aware gardeners are a motivating force supporting many of today's interwoven sustainable trends like urban farming, the local food movement, and organic gardening. Now urban beekeeping is adding to the buzz. The relationship of bees, gardens and food runs deep, deeper than most city dwellers realize. Dennis VanEngelsdorp, the Acting Pennsylvania State Apiarist, was quoted in an article in Whirl magazine as saying, “At least 30 percent of everything we consume has in some way come from a bee.”

Those folks who don't garden can suffer from an unfortunate emotional divorce from nature. It's not unusual to hear someone yelp, “Yikes! A Bee! Kill it!” Almost anything that people lump into the “bug” category, expect possibly butterflies, can get this response from the insecticide-toting crowd.

Meredith Grelli, one of Burgh Bees' founders along with her husband Alex, talked about overcoming this hurdle and educating the public. “People certainly mistake more aggressive stinging insects for honeybees. Often people have bad memories of being stung by a bee, when in fact they were stung by a hornet, wasp, or yellow jacket.”

“One way we get people over this fear, is by bringing them to our hives for "Open Apiaries." It's only when you stand beside a hive full of 60,000 bees that you really appreciate how gentle they actually are. We of course also give talks to educate people on the differences between gentler honeybees and other stinging insects and explain what makes a honeybee likely to sting.”

Learn more about Burgh Bees, their latest work and goals at their website, and look for more details about what they've accomplished and how you can get involved in upcoming Pittsburgh Gardening Scene Examiner articles.