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Local Honey/Wanna Host a Hive?


ToniBurnham

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Hi all --

I just joined, so please administer correction if I am doing this all wrong!

This post is meant to let you know that we are here, and to ask whether there is any chance that one or more or your properties might feature a roof or kitchen garden that might be appropriate for a beehive? An experienced beekeeper is willing to come to your location, have a look, and consult with you on this.

We are a group of about 100 downtown beekeepers, about half of whom are about to finish a professionally-taught beekeeping course, and many of whom do not own property in DC on which to place a hive. There's an article about us in today's Post -- http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/budding-beekeepers-swarm-to-courses/2014/03/11/d9a1efec-a56d-11e3-a5fa-55f0c77bf39c_story.html_

Each of our new beekeepers is armed with good training, a mentor, and a certificate from UDC Extension proving that they are good students. They tend to be young and poor, though! :-)

Downtown bees do a wonderful job of pollinating community and kitchen gardens, and we feel that they are natural allies of chefs who support the farm-to-table movement, even in a major metro. Some fine print: in the MidAtlantic, you start a hive in one year, and get your first harvest in the next. Even so, it may be possible to cut a deal with your beekeeper's mentor to get a few pounds of honey for a special recipe.  It is also up to you to work out what kind of deal you would need, and we can provide examples of agreements other beekeepers have used.

Our site is www.dcbeekeepers.org, but I am also really happy to answer questions here.

Cheers,

Toni Burnham

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The simple answer is that we are not restricted to DC, but as a geek I have a hard time leaving it at that!  :rolleyes:

Beekeepers around the metro area are pretty well networked, and if you are looking to place a hive in a specific area, I would be pleased to connect you with the local club majordomo. We are all in the process of graduating new beekeepers, and we all have community bulletin boards for sharing opportunities. The clubs in VA run the same course in DC and take the same approach that we do downtown -- everyone completes a certificate and gets a mentor. I think it is pretty important for an apiary located at a business to expect a serious and well prepared beekeeper. The Maryland clubs run good but individual courses, and I would just be careful to ask questions about what kind of support a new beekeeper had before coming to your location -- and you might even get a really experienced one who just needs an out yard (most of us do).

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