Is Urban Beekeeping Better Than Rural?

by Heather Callaghan

Even though the EU is initiating a 2-year ban on neonicotinoid pesticides which are heavily implicated in causing massive bee die-off, and a few organizations are suing the EPA for turning a blind eye towards pesticides - there is still a dire situation needing immediate remediation.

And, there is a lot in the way of urban beekeeping that can help.

Slowly but surely trending, much like community gardens, is urban beekeeping. Especially as more people find out how doable it is just about anywhere. Surprisingly and best of all - in urban areas.

Here is a close-up view of an urban beekeeper's work in Washington state who explains the challenges of keeping bees and the need for it - with a major focus on the many rewards.


Urban Beekeeping from Lauren Stelling on Vimeo.

Does it make sense that city beekeeping would actually be more help to the bee population than rural beekeeping?

It still sounds asinine that pesticide industry moguls Bayer and Syngenta answered the bee problem by calling for more research and suggested planting more flowers around crops. Right, because it would be really helpful for the bees to go even closer to sprayed fields that can kill them within minutes.

The US and UK have seen a 50% bee drop-off in the last 25 years. They pollinate to create 3/4 of the world's food crops. With the massive loss, especially noticeable beginning 2006, an expert suggested it would take 5-10 years to return to the good ol' days of normal bee levels - if something was done to help starting now.

But again, there are options and powerful ways to help. The quick video below is among the most positive messages about urban beekeeping.

The beekeepers explain how city and apartment rooftop keeping is actually healthier for the bees and anyone can do it.

For city-kept bees, some of the benefits include:

• Biodiversity - flowers everywhere versus monoculture crops
• Away from pesticides - less likely to come across industrial farming chemicals
• Less likelihood of Colony Collapse Disorder
• Will get enough food throughout the day which keeps them from being fed cheap and pesticide-ridden high fructose corn syrup which can kill them

Have you tried keeping bees? Please share your experience below.

Heather Callaghan is a natural health blogger and food freedom activist. You can see her work at NaturalBlaze.com and ActivistPost.com. Like at Facebook.

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