I have a friend who is an amazing ally to the honeybees. Not only does he plant his gardens with them in mind, but he is a gifted (and seemingly fearless) beekeeper. He has 48 different entries on his blog that you can check out to learn more about the bees and his journey in learning about and from them. This was his post yesterday and it provoked a small scream to come from me so I thought I’d share it here.
photos by Eli Wadley
Look at that perfect design the bees are making! The swarm was 3 feet long and 1 foot in width. Here’s another picture after they sawed off the branch the swarm was attached to.
I don’t want to spoil his post for you by telling you all the details, but rest assured the bees are now very content in their bee box. Eli’s bees are kept in the Castro district of SF and he sells his honey at the bottom of the steep hill he lives on at a really great place, Mission Pie. If you have time to click on their link too it’s worth the time for the amount of inspiration that organization offers.
Eli’s beekeeping, and selling of his honey at a local venue that supports social change and education, is a beautiful example of how more aspects of our cities could work. Do you know any beekeepers in your neighborhood? Are you one? Please tell me about it!
June 17, 2009 at 18:29
It is such an interesting post, I’ll never imagine to be a beekeeper, your friend really has such a great passion.
June 18, 2009 at 08:22
He really does!
June 18, 2009 at 08:08
Ohhhh that scares the bejeebers outta me. But I know how important bees are and hooray for people who can work with them. It just can’t be me – although I did get up my nerve to try and get a photo of one the other day but it was quite busy and on the move so I didn’t get it.
Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting on my Parking Strip post. Linda
June 18, 2009 at 08:22
I know, I look at the picture of the swarm and I just cant imagine. Again though, he swears they’re docile! I loved your blog!
June 19, 2009 at 09:10
Wow! Have you guys read the novel The Beekeeper? Good read!
June 19, 2009 at 13:35
I haven’t read that one yet, but thanks for the suggestion. I really loved A Book of Bees by Sue Hubbel. Non fiction account of her becoming a beekeeper in the South.