The Bee Initiative
The global honey bee population decline is real.
In fact, it went down by a staggering 40.7% from 2018 to 2019 alone. That's why I joined the Bee Initiative, a local nonprofit organization whose mission is to educate youth about bees and raise awareness surrounding the troubling population decline. Some of our recent efforts include delivering talks at elementary schools, advocating at farmers' markets, and hosting honey-harvesting workshops at local farms. We're recruiting! Contact me or visit the Bee Initiative's website (linked here and above) if you're interested.
We're starting a buzz around bee ordinances.
Yes, it’s true: old city regulations dictate where the bees can be, and many beekeepers find themselves restricted by municipal codes. In fact, ordinances in California have been restricting beekeeping for years. At a crucial time like this, such ordinances aren’t just problematic. They’re detrimental. When an affinity for beekeeping is finally on the rise, the worst thing we can do is crush it before it even develops, hurting our one chance to revive the declining honeybee population. Restrictive regulations could limit the Bee Initiative’s hives and ultimately pose a risk to the organization’s education efforts. In fact, they have already forced several budding beekeepers across the city to either move their hives elsewhere or simply abandon the craft altogether.
Join us in our efforts to save the bees.
Last November, we went to the Campbell Farmer's Market to chat with people about the city's restrictive beekeeping ordinances and to hand out an informational flyer, which is attached below. But raising people's awareness isn't enough to change government legislation. We've talked with Bee Guild leaders and city managers and will soon be presenting in front of city councils, hoping to make change across California. While we pursue this project, we'll also continue to present and demonstrate with our live honey bee hives.