The Secret (and Illegal) Life of Bees

My seat by the crimson wall in the back room of Jimmy's 43 in the East Village became increasingly uncomfortable as people packed in, shuffling into line to taste perhaps the only alcoholic beverage that is difficult to come by in this great city of New York: mead. Made from just three simple ingredients, honey, yeast and water, mead is the most ancient alcoholic drink out there and was received with delight and curiosity amidst this dynamic group of urban-agricultural enthusiasts gathered to celebrate the forth day of Pollinator Week 2009, seven days dedicated to legalizing urban beekeeping in New York City.

Paul Holm, the man behind the mead, was pretty casual about the whole thing. When asked why he is so committed to reviving such an ancient art, Paul smiles, sighs and mutters with a shrug, "Because I'm a crazy person!" Yet behind the nonchalance of this Long Island Railroad worker lies his booming Long Island Meadery that plans to celebrate its five-year anniversary this November. While he admits his main business comes from renaissance fairs, the largest customer being the Hudson Valley Mayfaire, the buzz (forgive the pun) here tonight suggests that mead--along with beekeeping--could be seeping back into the scene in the most major way since its fade-out in the mid-19th century.

While the actual brewing process can be completed in less than two hours, mead, like wine, must age for at least a year before being bottled. Most people begin by making "traditional" mead (honey, water and yeast), but the craft offers a wide opportunity to be creative. You can add all different kinds of spices and fruit including apples, pineapples, blueberries, chocolate, rosemary, even carrot. Another expert mead-maker at the event, Eileen Coles, swears by her ginger.

After I had a chance to taste Paul's extremely sweet and quite delicious traditional mead, Jacquie Berger, the executive director of JustFood.org, and the organizing force behind this event, introduced the "great unsung heroes" who help mead-makers like Paul stay business. Following a brief, captivating slide show exposing the secret world of rooftop and back-yard beekeeping in NYC, four unassuming beekeepers, two beginners and two veterans, took to the stage to dispel some common misconceptions about bees, explaining why their covert practice is not just a hobby, but an obligation.

As North America became increasingly industrialized, the wild honeybee population dwindled to just 1/4th of its original size. The colonies that are left face serious threats such as mites, pesticides and Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), a devastating disease that disrupts the bees' innate ability to find their way back to their hive. This tiny, very docile and greatly misunderstood pollinator is responsible not only for helping our flowers blossom, but also for bringing us avocados, almonds, zucchini, and a host of other foods essential to any New Yorker pallet. Urban bees are especially crucial for facilitating growth in the city's community gardens and parks, and are surprisingly better off than suburban colonies that face the threat of lawn pesticides and a too-narrow selection of fruits and flowers.

Learn more about this enchanting world of underground urban beekeeping by going to www.beeswithoutborders.org. To support the dedicated keepers and their mission, please express your support for David Yassky's recent motion to legalize beekeeping by contacting New York City officials Rena Bryant and Joseph Rivera.

 

Comments

[jetphixer]

I am a bee keeper i have 2 dogs 2 hives. Ive been stung many times,now having said all that . I have springers the small black one was stung a few times he gives the hives wide birth the older female springer! i have to keep her away, she eats the bees yes i said it she snaps at them swallows it wen she gets it Go figure. OK i have kept bees for years an i don't have a problem with then i work around them in shorts Now wen i go in and work them I wear all the stuff. im in Midwest an i find it funny wen i am there an folks walk by on the sidewalk they stop and are fascinated watching them on the frames while i hold them up. A few folks like i keep them for the pollination reason a few commented thre gardes looked better . thnaks 4 reading Bill

[intrstd]

Amazing...

[orangepetal]

Just wonderful.

[wm1066]

My best friend and I made a batch of mead in 1976 and we drank it on my birthday. It was very sweet, a little too sweet for our beer drinking taste but it was fun. I think we had a recipe that only took 6 months to ferment. Another friend conned me into moving his hives (I had a Van),... man that was a stupid idea. the bees were all over the inside of the van and I was trying to drive...dangerous, he was using the smoker to quite the bees, smoke pouring out of the van...later I found out its against the law to transport hives in a van, and I whole heartely agree with that law!

[mlaiuppa]

Some renter in one of our local communities had two hives set up on his porch.

The bees attacked the neighbors dogs and killed three of them. (What if it had been a child?)

The owner of the rental property denies responsibility despite the fact neighbors contacted him to complain about the bees over a year ago. He paid some of the dog owners vet bills, then abruptly stopped and now his lawyer is saying "no comment".

Meanwhile all of the neighbors are keeping their children and pets indoors.

Yeah. Urban bee-keeping. Pass.

[roseau]

You don't have to keep bees to help bees - plant flowers! If you have a yard, stop using chemicals and plant flowers! Plant perennials like goldenrod and coneflower, add clover to your grass (it HELPS your lawn - the monoculture lawns we have nowadays are just an aesthetic preference). Bees, butterflies, dragonflies, ladybugs and other 'good' bugs need more pit stops.

...and if you're ever in western mass, you'll find locally produced mead flowing freely in many of the local eateries. It's a lovely buzzzzzzzz.

[KYgrl]

This was an extremely good article. It's a shame that people are not more aware of the importance of bees. I've seen way to many "sissy" people kill honeybees because they think the bee is out to sting them! And honestly, mead is (in my opinion) the most delicious alcoholic beverage on the market. I have a recipe that I will be trying out this year.

[Edie Starmen]

Awesome article by and awesome writer!! YAY Liz!