angelburst29
The Living Force
While checking out news stories on Hurricane Sandy and it's effects on New York City and New Jersey, I came across this article on the destruction of 25 Bee Hives in Brooklyn, NY.
Having visited New York City, numerious times throughout the years, mainly to see a Broadway Play and Macy's windows around the Holidays, never envisioned Bee Hives as part of the landscape.
So, the article seemed odd in a way but I sense "human error" or judgement were part of the destruction?
http://grist.org/news/sandy-wipes-out-biggest-beekeeping-operation-in-new-york-city/
Posted Oct. 30, 2012
Casualties of Hurricane Sandy included 1 million unfortunate bees at the Brooklyn Grange’s Navy Yard urban farming project. Twenty-five hives each containing around 40,000 bees were torn apart Monday night.
“All our hives that were out on the pier were destroyed,” said Chase Emmons, a managing partner and the chief beekeeper at Brooklyn Grange.
An additional 10 hives located on Brooklyn Grange’s rooftop farm survived — but the loss is catastrophic for the city’s largest apiary. Emmons knew before the storm that the hives were at risk.
“There was little we could do without a Herculean effort,” he said.
What’s most heartbreaking, said Emmons, is that all of the lost hives were donated by a retired Pennsylvania beekeeper last year — so they housed extra-hearty bees with stellar genetics.
“The biggest loss is to our selective breeding genetic program. Our plan is to end up with bees that are well suited to the New York environment,” said Emmons. “This puts us back at least a year.”
In addition to hive products, Brooklyn Grange Bees is engaged in a beekeeping apprenticeship program, and a queen bee breeding program that will ultimately supply the NYC beekeeping community with local bees. Up until now, beekeepers in the NYC area have had to purchase their bees from the southeastern United States. Disease, winter survivability, and poor temperament are all issues that plague this system and result in beekeepers losing hives each year.
BGBees is selectively breeding queens to create a genetic strain of bees that thrive in the unique NYC environment. These bees are proven to be disease resistant, are hardy enough to survive cold winters, and are mild in temperament.
Having visited New York City, numerious times throughout the years, mainly to see a Broadway Play and Macy's windows around the Holidays, never envisioned Bee Hives as part of the landscape.
So, the article seemed odd in a way but I sense "human error" or judgement were part of the destruction?
http://grist.org/news/sandy-wipes-out-biggest-beekeeping-operation-in-new-york-city/
Posted Oct. 30, 2012
Casualties of Hurricane Sandy included 1 million unfortunate bees at the Brooklyn Grange’s Navy Yard urban farming project. Twenty-five hives each containing around 40,000 bees were torn apart Monday night.
“All our hives that were out on the pier were destroyed,” said Chase Emmons, a managing partner and the chief beekeeper at Brooklyn Grange.
An additional 10 hives located on Brooklyn Grange’s rooftop farm survived — but the loss is catastrophic for the city’s largest apiary. Emmons knew before the storm that the hives were at risk.
“There was little we could do without a Herculean effort,” he said.
What’s most heartbreaking, said Emmons, is that all of the lost hives were donated by a retired Pennsylvania beekeeper last year — so they housed extra-hearty bees with stellar genetics.
“The biggest loss is to our selective breeding genetic program. Our plan is to end up with bees that are well suited to the New York environment,” said Emmons. “This puts us back at least a year.”
In addition to hive products, Brooklyn Grange Bees is engaged in a beekeeping apprenticeship program, and a queen bee breeding program that will ultimately supply the NYC beekeeping community with local bees. Up until now, beekeepers in the NYC area have had to purchase their bees from the southeastern United States. Disease, winter survivability, and poor temperament are all issues that plague this system and result in beekeepers losing hives each year.
BGBees is selectively breeding queens to create a genetic strain of bees that thrive in the unique NYC environment. These bees are proven to be disease resistant, are hardy enough to survive cold winters, and are mild in temperament.
