Hot Beekeepers: Pick The Cutest Beekeeper (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)

First, we gave you the hottest organic farmers, and you sent us photos of your favorite agri-hotties. Now, we at HuffPost Green are continuing our love affair with sustainable agriculture by taking it to the next level ... with cute beekeepers, naturally.

Bees may get a bad rap because yellow jackets sting, and we'd like to change that by honoring those who recognize their vital role as pollinators and honey makers. Bees are crucial to the survival of up to a third of plant species we eat, and they've faced many problems such as colony collapse disorder. Beekeeping is more than a quirky hobby, it's a seriously important practice for the environment. In honor of that, we've compiled some of the cutest beekeepers around, most of whom practice urban beekeeping on rooftops in their respective cities, sometimes illegally. Nothing like a little naughtiness for the planet, right? So who's the cutest of them all? Vote for your favorite, and we'll invite the winner to blog about his or her hive.

Think we missed a cutie beekeeper who deserves recognition? Send in your nominations below.

 

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Cute Beekeepers

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Ashley Adams English

entopticon:
Ashley is an author near Asheville,NC writing a book series, "Homemade Living", on small-scale homesteading and sustainable living topics. Her first two books, "Keeping Chickens" and "Canning & Preserving", will be available in print from Lark Books April 2010, followed by "Home Dairy" and "Keeping Bees" April 2011.

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Comments

[yemaya]

07:01 PM on 02/02/2010

yes but they are adding genes from other species. They have produced surprises that the scientists have not expected. There aren't any studies about the health risks of gmo foods. The corporations fund the scientific research and don't really want to fund these types of studies.

Scientists have been shut down and persecuted for trying to tell the truth. Their careers ruined. Some have been bought, but others have come forward. Read up on this folks and make up your own minds.

[entopticon]

06:29 PM on 01/29/2010

As corny as it may sound, I really do think that all of the above beekeepers are truly beautiful for doing what they are doing. I hope the attention that this article is getting encourages even more people to do the same! I am proud to see my beautiful wife Ashley included among all of these great people and their bees :^)

[Robert Nix]

06:00 PM on 01/29/2010

What's the start up cost and up keep for 2 hives roughly? I might take this up.

[onebeeswax]

08:04 PM on 01/30/2010

You could spend a thousand dollars.

From there on you could spend all you make from the honey and you still wouldn't have enough gear. Be careful, the interest is habit forming. It is contagious too.

[Robert Nix]

01:27 AM on 01/31/2010

Thanks I was looking to try to keep it less then 700. What kind of time table would I be working with?

[Mike Manos]

10:43 AM on 02/06/2010

Personally I'd recommend against starting up with just one colony. There's a good chance of losing at least one colony due to cold, mites, etc. I'd start with at least 2 - just thought you might include that when estimating costs.

And heed the warnings about it being addictive. I started a few years ago with 2, and now I have 10 colonies!

[Amy Fiedler Johnston]

01:05 PM on 02/06/2010

You're right, Mike. Starting with two hives is also encouraged so you will be able to compare the two hives.

[BannedNBoston]

03:21 PM on 01/29/2010

The plot to kill the bees documented and Greenpeace wont speak out.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2815320198655156407#

[entopticon]

01:36 PM on 01/29/2010

Bruce Buchanan... I love the background (painting or wallpaper?) in your pic. It is awesome!

[Bruce Buchanan]

12:26 PM on 01/31/2010

It's an unfinished painting from a few years ago. Way before the bees. Guess I was thinking about them even then, huh?

[BKHomesteader]

08:06 AM on 01/29/2010

Hi Jenna,

I am not certain what I may have done to warrant being called out for 'poll-rigging' beyond simply circulating the link to every outlet I have contact with and asking for a high vote. It's kind of par for the course, really. Perhaps you should try the same thing?

This is supposed to be a fun, albeit silly contest to help shine a light on the beekeeping community. It has been successful in doing so...isn't that what this is supposed to be about?

-Meg

[Eli M Cayer]

10:05 AM on 01/31/2010

Right on Meg,
i was also under the impression that this is about getting the word out about bees, beekeeping, and the connections to our communities.
who really cares about the "winners" here? as far as i'm concerned we are all winners for working with bees, thinking about nature and wanting to make our world/s a better place.

EMC

[Jenna Louve]

10:03 PM on 01/28/2010

For those of you who think my photo is "posed" - aren't they all in some fashion? I was going about my business the same as everyone here, of keeping bees (not modeling)! When someone took my picture. How did all of you get yours? I grew up on a self-sustaining farm and currently manage a smaller place in exchange for use of the land to keep my bees and chickens. I even secured a NJ certification of wildlife habitat for the farm. Yes, I have a day job and yes I clean up real purty but don't fool yourself into thinking that means a girl want the fancy life. Some of us have ambitions beyond purses, we need to keep the earth and feel it under our nails. I grew up that way and I'll be dying that way! ~Believe that by changing one's self you will change the world

Megan you didn't have to go to all the trouble of rigging the votes. Not saying I would have won, but if I had and it was that important to you I would have let you write it. Or, maybe we could have collaborated on being young and female in beekeeping? You underestimate people's kindness. Jenna~

And if it makes everyone feel better I did show up on the "what not to wear" website :)

[Dennis Mc Donald]

03:56 PM on 01/28/2010

To learn more about beekeeper Jenna Champion go to http://www.youtube.com/user/bctphotos1#p/u/8/kSQV8gkT_iQ

[onebeeswax]

03:04 AM on 01/31/2010

When I first spotted Jenna's image I mistook her for the queen bee.
Good work, Dennis. Nice photography, nice subject matter. A real honey.

[BannedNBoston]

01:04 PM on 01/27/2010

Whats killing the bees;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nycZCoz7HJ4

[sborsher]

10:07 AM on 01/27/2010

The bee's knees?

[ibsteve2u]

06:58 AM on 01/27/2010

Hmmm...the subject of beekeeping must attract a more civilized class of reader.

I note that, although disagreements are evident, nobody told anybody to buzz off.

[urchinsadrift]

05:28 AM on 01/27/2010

Is it still illegal to keep bees in nyc? Whats wrong with those organic liberal enviro whackos?

[SneathLane]

06:37 PM on 02/02/2010

You've never lived in New York, I see.

[KIVPossum]

08:31 AM on 02/04/2010

A lot of towns have regulations about beekeeping. Just got to come up with some creative way to hide your hives.

[kevski]

02:16 AM on 01/27/2010

I feel like I've been Rick-Rolled ................ without the video

[SPQR1052]

12:02 AM on 01/27/2010

Not a hot one among the candidates of either genders... I am so disaapointed.

[olybeekeeper]

01:43 AM on 01/27/2010

I don't know...95 degrees out and wearing a bee suit can be hot! :)

[KIVPossum]

04:52 AM on 01/28/2010

With 2 goats and 7 chickens, Michael probably has one hive. What do you need a bee suit for?

[sylvia feldman]

04:26 PM on 01/30/2010

All of the candidates are doing their part to make the world a better place. What's not hot about that? Channel your disappointment and join us!

[Veganacious]

09:24 PM on 01/26/2010

Leave the bees alone. They are not commodities. Use agave nectar - it is better and doesn't kill any bees. Huff Post, this is disappointing - are you taking lessons from PeTA?

[olybeekeeper]

01:36 AM on 01/27/2010

Not all beekeepers collect honey. Half of beekeeping is keeping bees as local pollinators. And you, as a vegan, benefit from this. A good beekeeper doesn't kill their bees to collect the honey anyway. Keep an open mind and learn a little instead of being dogmatic.

[yemaya]

06:45 PM on 01/27/2010

exactly! good post olybeekeeper. I think those beekeepers are hot btw.

[KIVPossum]

03:49 AM on 01/27/2010

You need to learn a thing or three about bees and beekeepers.