What is Urban Beekeeping, Why is it Important?
Have you ever thought about what bees are doing in the city? There is a miracle working quietly amid concrete buildings, and gray streets: bees. They are perhaps the most critical and most invisible actors in urban agriculture. Because most of the time, a flower blossoms and a plant bears fruit only if bees flutter their wings. Increasing number of urban beekeeping practices in recent years opened up a new breathing ground for city dwellers who want to connect with nature as well as for communities wanting to support the ecosystem.
In this blog post, we will explore the roles of bees in the cities, advantages of urban beekeeping, and the reasons why this movement should be supported. Enjoy reading!
Bees do not only produce honey, but they are also part of a hidden system that enables continuity of life. If they go missing, most of the agricultural products cannot be cultivated, the ecosystem would be thrown off balance, and food chain would be interrupted. In other words, if bees disappear, the variety on our tables would also disappear.
Bees are the leading actors in pollination. This process enables plants to produce fruits and seed. Nearly 75% of the plants across the world are fertilized thanks to bugs, and bees constitute the majority of these bugs.
In other words, tomatoes, apples, squashes, almonds... They are all the results of the labor of bees.
Furthermore, bees not only ensure the continuity of agriculture, but also the continuity of flowering plant species in the nature. Forests become green, meadows come to life, and biological diversity is protected thanks to them.
Check out our blog post titled What Is Biological Diversity?
Bee population is under threat due to pesticides widely used in rural areas, monocultural agriculture, and loss of habitat. The cities, however, started to become a new habitat for bees contrary to the general belief. Because less pesticide is used in the cities, there is a variety of flowers, and people open more areas for bees.
Having bees in the cities also empowers urban agriculture initiatives. All plants, from tomato pots on balconies to neighborhood gardens, need bees to visit them. They ensure the continuity of life, if not the soil, in the cities.
Urban beekeeping is a way to produce honey and support pollination by placing beehives inside the city. Although it may sound a little extraordinary at first, this practice, which is becoming increasingly popular across the world, attracts attention with its environmental and social benefits. Beehives, placed on roofs, balconies, park corners, or school yards, reconnect the city with nature once again.
Municipalities, communities, or individuals are placing their own beehives in many cities, from New York and Paris to Istanbul and Berlin. For example, honey has been produced on the roof of the Paris Opera Building for years now. Community gardens in Berlin both produce honey and provide beekeeping training.
Check out this blog post to learn more about beekeeping activities in Istanbul.
The best thing about urban beekeeping is this: not large areas are required. Even a 1 or 2 square meter roof space can become a habitat for bees. Although urban beekeeping is a pleasant and meaningful hobby, there is a need for specific legal frames and technical information. The ideal way for the ones who want to start urban beekeeping is to learn it from an experienced beekeeper, and to take small steps.
Click here to find out information about the ‘Urban Beekeeping’ workshop of Çankaya Municipality.
Urban beekeeping is not only limited to producing honey, but also offers multidimensional benefits in ecologic, social, and economic terms. Placing a beehive in a city enables a city dweller without land to connect with nature, a neighborhood to live a shared production experience, and even to create a small-scale economic value.
Ecologic Benefits: Tomatoes on balconies, vegetables in gardens, and flowers in the parks grow healthier thanks to pollination ensured by bees in the city.
Pollination increases both yield and quality of plants. And this is invaluable for individuals and communities engaged in urban agriculture. Furthermore, bees support the ecological cycle of green spaces inside the city; thus, contributing to the continuity of biodiversity.
Social and Communal Benefits: People coming together around a beehive connect not only with nature, but also with each other.
• Beekeeping workshops organized at schools teach children to love nature.
• Beehives placed in neighborhoods gardens encourage collective production.
• The city dweller reconnects with nature among all the concrete thanks to this process.
And this creates a new feeling of community in urban life in which people become isolated.
Economic Benefits: Products such as honey, beeswax, and bee resin offered by urban beekeeping can create small-scale revenue models.
• “City honey” produced through natural methods are especially popular in local markets.
• Beeswax can be used in the production of soaps, candles, or cosmetic products.
• Side income fields can emerge such as education, consultancy, and sales of beekeeping materials.
In short, beehives do not only propagate flowers, but also ideas.
Although urban beekeeping offer many opportunities, it is not a bed of roses. Urban settings can pose some risks for bees. Similarly, neighborhood relations, safety, and maintenance responsibility should also be considered. Therefore, it is imperative to be careful, conscious, and transparent in urban beekeeping.
Although bees do not generally harm people, they can still pose a risk especially for allergic individuals.
Therefore:
• Beehives should be placed away from visible areas,
• Nearby neighbors should be informed,
• Educated and experienced people should be used when starting to this hobby.
Fears concerning bees generally originate from a lack of knowledge. Therefore, communication, information, and respecting common spaces are all crucial.
Concentrated exhaust gases, concretion, and high temperatures in the cities can cause stress for bees.
Therefore:
• Beehives should be placed near green spaces as much as possible,
• It should be ensured that they are not under direct sunlight,
• They should be protected against wind and sudden temperature changes.
Colored and natural markers can be used for bees to find their way. In short, it is not easy for them to live in the city; we are responsible for creating proper conditions for them.
Urban beekeeping is not only an eco-friendly initiative across the world; it has also become a symbol of social creativity and solidarity. Project implemented in different cities show that an urban life that is in harmony with nature is possible. Here are some remarkable examples showing how beekeeping can be integrated into the city:
Paris: Honey at the Roof of the Opera Building: There are beehives on the roof of Opera Garnier building in Paris. This honey produced at the heart of the city is very popular in local markets and restaurants. It is even reported that, in France, urban honey is cleaner compared to the honey produced in rural areas due to using small amounts of pesticides.
Beekeeping in Community Gardens in New York: Initiatives such as “NYC Beekeeping” and “Green Guerillas” in New York encourage urban beekeeping as well as organizing public trainings. Ecologic awareness is raised in the city through beehives placed on vacant lots, school yards, and apartment building roofs. These practices also create employments and production opportunities in neighborhoods where immigrants and low-income individuals reside.
Local Initiatives in Türkiye: Some municipalities in Istanbul introduce beekeeping to children and young people by placing beehives in parks for education purposes. There are mini beekeeping projects integrated with neighborhood gardens. And local cooperatives in Izmir establish rural-urban connection by branding natural honey produced in the city. These examples not only show that an ecofriendly life is possible in the city, but they also indicate that it can also be a transformative force in creative and social terms.
Urban beekeeping is a movement that destroys the illusion of saying that our connection with nature can only be established in forests and mountains. As bees work silently at the corners of parks, roofs of apartment buildings, and school yards, they provide an invisible but invaluable contribution to urban life. Flowers would not blossom, gardens would not become green, and life would not continue without them. Therefore, opening up areas for bees in the city is actually opening up an area for us to breathe. This is one of the simplest ways to connect with nature as well as an experience that brings communities together.
We should not ignore these silent heroes for a greener, more sustainable, and more resistant urban life; and we should do everything in our power for them to exist in the cities.