To associate or not to associate?

That is the question.

I am an urban beekeeper in a city where there is are an estimated 200 urban beekeepers just like me. Over the past year or so there has been some considerable effort by very motivated and talented individuals to bring all of us together. So far, it has been through social networking and online forums, which is great.

But as urban beekeeping becomes more prevalent (and, dare I say, hip — see New York Magazine’s recent spread on urban beekeepers in The Big Apple) in this country, so it happens that those who have a life-long fear of bees (or whom have recently become fearful because of media hype about Africanized bees) become concerned about being surrounded by beekeepers. All it takes is one story of someone being “attacked” by bees and the whole city is up in arms. It makes me think that being more formally associated with a larger group might bring a semblance of order to this endeavor.

My first and major interest in being a part of an beekeepers association or society is education and outreach. While the practice of beekeeping has been around for centuries, it would serve the community well to have access to knowledgeable beekeepers willing to share their expertise and experience with those who may not understand what beekeeping entails or educate those who are fearful of bees. Any time I have ever shared my bees with others I have always heard the same types of reactions: “They’re so mellow!” or “This isn’t as scary as I thought it would be.” I am convinced that all people need is to see other people interacting harmoniously with bees and many of those irrational fears will be waylaid.

Secondly, my husband Ryan and I are adamant about practicing sustainable, non-chemotherapeutic beekeeping methods. This means that we do not use pesticides, miticides, or antibiotics on our bees and we encourage our fellow beekeepers to do the same. We also speak with our neighbors to inform them of the harmful outcomes of pesticides on bees and how research has shown long-term detrimental affects of utilizing such products on plants and bee colonies. Our belief is that you do not need to use chemotherapeutic methods in beekeeping. There are other methods that are non-toxic to bees and plants and that don’t show up in our honey supply. So the goal of an association might be to promote what I call “best practices” in beekeeping. This does not mean that there is only one way to keep bees, but there are responsible ways and irresponsible ways to keep bees. Why not share the good methods and enhance the world for all of us?

Also, to associate might be a good way to protect our interests. There have been recent stories about people damaging and destroying hives with chemicals and education and outreach is the one way to get people to be less fearful and more responsible, while also protecting the significant investment of time and money beekeepers put into their practices. If we are to protect ourselves, we need to have a collective voice in terms of policy.

And finally, to associate helps the bees. I love the honey bee and believe that they are one of the essential elements that will facilitate our survival on this planet. If we humans can unify in our desire to protect the bees, we will be doing so to protect our own continued existence.

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