JUNE 11, 2012 KEEPING UP WITH THE JONES'

Thank God men cannot fly, and lay waste the sky as well as the earth. ~Henry David Thoreau

The sun, the moon and the stars would have disappeared long ago... had they happened to be within the reach of predatory human hands. ~Havelock Ellis, The Dance of Life, 1923


There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed. ~Mohandas K. Gandhi


We live in a toxic environment. If I listen to everything I read I wouldn't eat, drink or breathe the air. You have to pick and chose your battles. Eating is easy- go organic or as organic as you can be. Drink filtered water. For the air- I do not know what to say- use a mask.
I can say You can get involved with an environmental project. If you visit Fire Island at anytime, make a complaint that there is no recycling on that strip of land off Long Island. If you see someone has the room for a bee hive on top of their roof or building--make a suggestion. If your children go to a school that has a vacant roof- make a suggestion to the principal or school board. Plant flowers for the bees.
Be pro active !!!






If Rick and I could keep bees in the city, why shouldn't the Waldorf-Astoria ? And that's what is happening . The most famous hotel in NYC for tourists and a stop over for many US Presidents is now keeping bees. I do think the Hotel del Coronado has had more US President stays than the Waldorf ! I am proud to be part of the bee movement. We have been keeping bees for our third year. As we travel into the city by tram every day we notice the buildings that  could use some hives. We are happy that the New School will have its bees this week on Roosevelt Island. It is a thrill for us.

It gives back to our environment. It is the right thing to do. It is not only in these NYC hotels as the Waldorf-Astoria. Hotels in Boston and Washington DC are also keeping bees. It is also in Paris and I am sure in London.

It is thrilling to watch a hive from a hotel room. I am sure the New School students will watch from the terrace windows as we install the hives. These students will be able to watch bees go to and forth the areas of the island picking up pollen , water and nectar, and bring it back to their hives.

New York City’s board of health voted in March 2010 to lift a ban against beekeeping, legalizing the hives of hundreds of residents who have tended bees in defiance of the law. This  unanimous vote amends the health code to allow residents to keep hives of Apis mellifera, the common, non aggressive honeybee. Beekeepers will be required to register with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and to adhere to appropriate practices. That means they must be able to control bee swarms and ensure that the hives do not interfere with pedestrians or neighbors.

Members of various associations were thrilled with this law and now they can also rejoice at the fact that others like famous NYC Hotels are catching on. I would check on these associations for courses and information  Gotham City Honey Cooperative and the  New York City Beekeeping Meetup. Also check at http://www.honeybeeslives.org/  with Chris Harper and Grai. There is also a courses at the New York Botanical Gardens in the Bronx. Check out http://www.nybg.org/

The Fratellone-Byrd Bee Library is abound with bee books. Most of the books are of Basic Beekeeping but some are on honey, and Honey Bee Democracy. Our favorite is The Beekeeper's Lament and the Queen Must Die. My favorite is a gift from Rick, Fifty Years Among the Bees ( First Edition) from the 1930's written by physician-beekeeper C.C. Miller.

We recommend two documentaries that you will sit in amazement. The documentary “Vanishing of the Bees” takes a piercing investigative look at the economic, political and ecological implications of the worldwide disappearance of the honeybee. You can purchase this for $12.95 on Dr Mercola web site. The other is   Queen of the Sun: What Are The Bees Telling Us?.  You know there is a movement happened right here in NYC when Whole Foods does screenings of this movie in their various locations.

This is a movement. Join the movement and be part of no matter where you live.

Until tomorrow...