Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Ground-Level Beekeeping
There are many other safe locations in a city where bees can be kept besides the
roof—backyards, empty lots, alleys, decks, balconies, and porches. Any of these loca-
tions can attract attention if you don't take precautions. Commonsense rules apply.
Watch flight patterns.
When bees leave home there's little incentive to fly higher
than about six feet (1.8 m) unless there's a barrier in the way. If nothing is in the way
they may run into people. Install a barrier or screen close enough that the bees are re-
quired to fly higher than eight feet (2.4 m) almost immediately. This will minimize un-
wanted human contact with your bees.
Stay out of sight.
Even though the city says “Yes, you can have bees in this city as
long as you follow these rules,” safety and common sense should rule the day. The pop-
ulation density of a city increases the likelihood that people may interfere, accidentally,
mischievously, or maliciously.
Tip:
Colony Load and Bee Density
Bees are remarkably resilient to wind, sun, heat, cold, and other environmental
stresses if they are provided with adequate housing, food, and protection. There is
no reason that bees cannot survive on top of a ten-story, fifteen-story, or an even
taller building. The amount of energy a bee needs to expend to fly that high when
loaded with nectar and pollen, especially on a windy day, may be a stronger limit-
ing factor.
Controlling the number of colonies you have in any location (or bee density) in the
city or country is more likely to be a limiting factor. How many colonies can your
area support? Street trees are abundant in cities and generally there's a wide vari-
ety of them…planted in varietal clumps… throughout the area. Most trees bloom
in spring and early summer and are gone by midseason. What then? Parks and city
plantings hold lots of flowers, and city flower shops can supplement. (One flower
shop with several varieties of sunflowers in cans on the sidewalk can feed more
than 100 honey bees at a time.)
Take a look at online map services (such as Google Street-view), walk the neigh-
borhood, examine vacant lots, which may have wildflowers blooming in late sum-
mer. Ultimately, an urban rooftop, balcony, or backyard may easily support two or
three colonies, but ten may be a stretch. As anywhere, if the area is overpopulated
with bees, the bees will not thrive.
