NEWTON
CORNER, Ma. —When most people think of honeybees nowadays, it most often seems the
first words that come to mind are stark: pesticide use, high fructose corn
syrup, colony collapse disorder. But what most people might not know is that
here, in the middle of Boston, a thriving community of urban and backyard
beekeepers is bursting with enthusiasm for just that: a joy for bees… and
bicycling?
The Boston Beekeeper’s Club is a local group, some 350 people and
counting, dedicated
to bee conservation, urban beekeeping and education, and community outreach; community
outreach that is culminating with this year’s 4th Annual “Tour de
Hives,” a bicycling tour of urban apiaries in the Greater Boston area. An apiary, for those unfamiliar with the
word, is a collection of beehives, four of which will be stops on the Club’s
fun and fact-filled cycling tour. That’s right, this summer solstice, grab your
water bottle and your bicycle because Boston’s beekeepers will be rolling
through North Cambridge, Fresh Pond, and Newton.
The Newton home of Brendan
Hathaway, volunteer on the Club’s Tour de Hives planning committee, is just one
of the stops of the day. “You should be interested because a good deal of your crops are made
possible by pollinator insects such as bees, and they play a vital role in our
ecosystem,” Hathaway said. “This event gives you an opportunity to understand how
bees play a role in your community.” And what a role they play! One third of
the human diet depends on pollination, and bees are responsible for
approximately 80% of that work. With honeybee populations in nationwide
decline, it’s no wonder that community outreach is so important. “People usually think that cities cannot have any portion of
agriculture in them,” Hathaway notes. With technology and education catching up to
industrialized cities however, urban and backyard beekeeping is now more
feasible than ever before, something the tour aims to highlight.
For Hathaway, backyard beekeeping can only be
described as “the coolest thing ever,” because “it doesn’t take too much time,
and I know the bees are providing good ecological services to my area… the honey that is local is awesome, and I
know the bees have been treated right. All the flowers in Newton Corner in a
single golden drop!”
Local honeys, courtesy of
Boston Based group Follow the Honey, will be available during the group’s
bag-lunch portion of the day, but Hathaway says that isn’t even the best part. “The thing I love most at Tour de Hives is connecting with other
beekeepers, and also spreading the passion to those that are not currently
keeping bees. It’s amazing that even if you work with insects, you find that
your work with them can lead you to making meaningful connections with people.”
The 15-mile course’s highlights include (taken from event page):
Site A: tending warre
hives at an urban elementary school, chat with teachers
Site B: honeybees and fruit at an assisted living facility, speak with residents and their beekeeper
BYO PICNIC LUNCH: Featuring Commonwheels Bicycle Collective with a free DIY bike-maintenance skill share and Follow the Honey with a free honey tasting
Site C: backyard beekeeping, hear from a Newton family about their home honey production
Site D: Local bee-friendly flora and chemical-free practices at Fresh Pond Reservoir
Site B: honeybees and fruit at an assisted living facility, speak with residents and their beekeeper
BYO PICNIC LUNCH: Featuring Commonwheels Bicycle Collective with a free DIY bike-maintenance skill share and Follow the Honey with a free honey tasting
Site C: backyard beekeeping, hear from a Newton family about their home honey production
Site D: Local bee-friendly flora and chemical-free practices at Fresh Pond Reservoir
The
4th annual Tour de Hives will be held on Saturday, June 21st
from 9am-2pm, meet-up location TBA. Registration ($20) is recommended. For more
information and to sign up, visit http://2014tourdehives.bpt.me/
