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What is backyard beekeeping?
Backyard beekeeping also known as Urban beekeeping is the practice of keeping beehives in residential areas and cities. It has become more popular in recent times due to urbanization as it allows people to provide homes for bees which in return aids in pollinating their gardens and provides overall benefits to the environment.
Cartoon Bees with Cursive Buzz
A beekeeper smoking their hives in order to relax the bees so they can inspect and collect honey.
Backyard beekeeping is an amazing hobby that allows one to enter the world of understanding insects and the environment. It gives people a way to help the bee population by providing the bees with a home. In exchange, the bees help pollinate various flowers over 3 miles in radius and especially aid your garden!
Why Should You Be a Beekeeper?
bees are excellent pollinators
beneficial hobby for the environment
local and fresh source of honey
help be closer and respect nature
expand the bee population
greatly benefit your organic garden
local ecosystem benefits from increased pollination and biodiversity
The biggest causes of death in honeybee populations are diseases and parasites which according to a study by Youngsteadt Et al. are linked to Urbanization. Urbanization has increased the pathogen load and intensity on honeybee and other pollinator populations.
In recent times bee populations have been struggling due to the adverse effects of urbanization and the introduction of the parasite Varroa destructor.
Parasite Varroa destructor found on a honeybee
How to be a Responsible Backyard Beekeeper
How to be a Responsible Backyard Beekeeper
Image of the "The Beekeepers Essential Workbook" by the Piggyback Press
Provide a Safe Home: Backyard beekeeping is about offering bees a home and resting place, not for domestication or profit.
Respect Bees: Bees are essential pollinators; building a symbiotic relationship with them is key.
Honey Extraction is Optional:
Deciding whether to extract excess honey or leave it for the bees is a personal choice.
Avoid overharvesting, as it can leave bees without enough resources to survive winter.
Support Other Pollinators: Plant plenty of native plants to help all native pollinator species thrive and create a healthy ecosystem.
Be wary of pests and parasites, but do not use excessive pesticides and chemicals. It is important to care for the bees but having an organic lifestyle benefits the overall health of pollinator populations more.
References :
What You Need to Know About Backyard Beekeeping. (2022, July 20). PETA. https://www.peta.org/living/humane-home/backyard-beekeeping/
Knight, S. (2023, August 21). Is Beekeeping Wrong? The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/08/28/is-beekeeping-wrong
jackie-hff. (2021, January 29). The Benefits of Backyard Beekeeping. Homefront Farmers | Redding, CT. https://homefrontfarmers.com/benefits-of-backyard-beekeeping/
Youngsteadt, E., Appler, R. H., López-Uribe, M. M., Tarpy, D. R., & Frank, S. D. (2015). Urbanization Increases Pathogen Pressure on Feral and Managed Honey Bees. PloS one, 10(11), e0142031. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0142031
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