Did a Little Rooftop Beekeeping Today

These are hives we have on the rooftop of the Mt Vernon Triangle Business Improvement District headquarters.  We started them out last season, and had one failure (which we replaced with a nuc) and one that went gangbusters.  They have survived the winter thanks to some mid-winter feeding and both were ready for a honey super.

Visit to Paris Barns, Paris, VA - VIDEO

We got out of the city yesterday morning early and headed west past Middleburg to visit some hives at a farm in this sleepy town.  These two hives here have struggled in the first season and we had to re-stock one of the hives in the summer.  I was worried I was going to open them up and find a pile of dead bees.

Broken Hives at Fresh and Local CSA-VIDEO

I received a call on New Years Eve from farmer Allan with some pics of the hives (9 in total) in which many of the tops and upper supers had been toppled.  He was thinking wind, but my gut says animal.  We were able to save the bees, thanks to some warmer weather, and got the hives buttoned up again with straps and bricks.

Photoshoot at Farm at Walker Jones

I hope all this attention doesn't go to my head!!  I received a call from a reporter who does a segment for the Washington Post Magazine called First Person Singular.  They were anxious to interview a beekeeper, which as it happens I am.  The photographer has some pretty particular requirements for the shoot, and was afraid of our roof, so we ended up shooting at 7am at the Farm at Walker Jones.

Partnering With Church Of The Pilgrims

One of the Church's members produced this great video of their bee installation and its significance for their members and their mission.  The music is groovy too:

Bread For The City...Installing New Bees Video

Visit to the Fresh and Local CSA Apiary...Adding Three More Hives

Visit to Fresh and Local CSA - Installing Their Last Four Hives

My daughter Maddie and I made the hour and fifteen trip to this West Virginia farm to finish setting their equipment ahead of the arrival of our bees.

Visit to the Farm at Walker Jones

Today we went visited our urban farming partner at the Walker Jones School off New Jersey Avenue in Northwest Washington, DC.  They have approximately 5/8 of an acre on the school property that they began farming last year.  This year sports much bigger plans!

Visit to Fresh and Local CSA - 6 Hives!

I drove out to Shepherdstown, West Virginia this morning to do a site visit of our best customer, Fresh and Local CSA.  This 40 acres farm provides naturally raised produce to members on a weekly basis throughout the growing season.  Please visit their website and become a member.  They have convenient locations on the District and metro area to pick up your produce weekly and the pricing is very reasonable.  Our bees should improve upon their yields, so the price will be a bargain!

PG County Community College Course

Here it is, the flyer for our beekeeping class this Fall at the Price Georges County Community College:

Prince Georges County Community College Course

It is now official…I’m teaching a course at the Community College!   We have installed a couple of hives out there today to be populated with bees in April.  The location in Upper Marlboro is a combination of woods and farmland with some suburban developments so there is a healthy variety of
bee foraging flora.  The colonies will be at full strength by the time we are teaching the course in September.

Arcadia Rocks DC Honeybees

Arcadia Center For Sustainable Food and Agriculture is an organic farm that is the brainchild of Neighborhood Restaurant Group’s leader, Michael Babin.  Babin, the culinary prodigy behind such local favorites as Birch & Barley, Churchkey, Tallula and The Evening Star Café, has partnered with The National Trust For Historic Preservation to locate his farm at the historic Woodlawn Plantation near Mount Vernon in Alexandria.  A great article from The Washington Post about the initiative is linked here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/14/AR2010121403386.html

 with a gallery here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2010/12/14/GA2010121402809.html

Their blog is located here:
http://arcadiafarms.blogspot.com/

Michael is joined by Farm Manager Maureen Moodie and Executive Director Erin Teal Littlestar in the non-profit project, which funds its operation through donations, sale of produce, compost, and soon: HONEY!

I read the article about Arcadia in the Post and reached out to Erin and Maureen immediately to see if they needed any pollinators to support their operation.  I thought I could convince them to install one or two hives as a trial run.  Little did I know of their own personal interests in the movement, and their intent to harvesting local honey.

Five hives.  Yes five.  And Michael has indicated that he’d like to expand above that if it makes sense.  This is precisely the kind of partnering DC Honeybees has been looking for, and their timing is perfect for a spring installation.

Stay tuned for more information on our progress.  This should make for some fun videos this coming May!!  I better start building….

Jeff.

New Beekeeping Partner

While not technically urban, the Fresh and Local CSA in Shepherdstown, WV (www.FreshandLocalCSA.com) has volunteered to help us get the honeybee initiative off to a bang.  They will try to arrange sponsorships to finance the hive start-up costs, and DC Honeybees will manage and tend the hives.  Given their 72 acres, I hope they get lots of sponsorship as that is a lot of terrain!  We will let you know how that relationship evolves, but I have high hopes.

Mount Vernon Triangle CID Strikes AGAIN!

The Mount Vernon Triangle CID has partnered with DC Honeybees for an installation at the Farm at Walker-Jones (http://wjfarm.wordpress.com/).  This grass-roots agricultural effort is adjacent to the new and awesome Walker-Jones school at New Jersey Avenue and K Street NW.  The school serves children from nursery through eighth grade in modern facilities and lots of green-space.  The farm grew its first crops this past season and plantings will increase markedly next year.

The CID and DC Honeybees approached the farm volunteers this fall to see of they would like to improve their pollination and include beekeeping practices in their agricultural curriculum.  I am pleased to hear that they have accepted our offer of a donation of a hive which we will populate with bees in early spring.  DC Honeybees will provide support and management of the hive and teach the children of this urban campus the benefits and basics of beekeeping in the city.  The prize of course will follow in the fall when the honey harvest begins and the children can taste items made with their honey in the school's kitchen.

THANK YOU Mount Vernon Triangle CID