A part of
Check out "Peace Is Fun" - an intervew with Positive News US Editior, Ilonka Wloch. Just click on the image above.
Free to Bee
Beekeepers in New York no longer have to keep their hives hidden. Following a campaign by Just Food, a not-for-profit organization working for a sustainable food system, a ban on urban beekeeping has finally been overturned.
In 1999, the city’s Mayor responded to a growing problem of exotic pets by listing 100 wild animals considered too dangerous to be kept. It banned ferrets, scorpions, pit vipers and all venomous insects, including honey bees.
Up until now, residents risked fines of over 1,500 dollars if caught ‘in possession of’ bees. Despite this, hives painted grey to look like air conditioning units, or disguised as chimneys, have been defiantly sitting on rooftops across the city. Secret beekeeping ‘meetups’ and beginners’ classes have been well-attended, while ‘contraband’ honey was on sale at local farmers’ markets and high street shops, if you knew where to look.
Just Food launched their campaign in 2008 and worked with local businesses, beekeepers, gardeners and community members to encourage the Department of Health to lift the ban. At the hearing, supporters pointed out that keeping bees provides a rewarding and educational hobby, teaching everything from patience to environmental responsibility.
Beekeeper David Graves believes that “a ban on bees is like a ban on nature.” He travels into the Big Apple four times a week, all the way from Berkshire in Massachusetts, to sell honey extracted from hives placed on borrowed rooftops in the Bronx, Manhattan and Brooklyn. Customers say they prefer his New York brand, labeled Rooftop Magic, because it has a bouquet that is “ s w e e t e r , more floral and lighter tasting.”
Lifting the ban was a crucial victory for all those who support the industry and are keen to turn NYC into a greener, healthier and more sustainable place to live. “You get honey; you’re also pollinating gardens. It’s such a positive, happy thing to do,” declared a recently decriminalized beekeeper.
Contact: Just Food www.justfood.org
212.645.9880 ext221
Story from Positive News UK
In 1999, the city’s Mayor responded to a growing problem of exotic pets by listing 100 wild animals considered too dangerous to be kept. It banned ferrets, scorpions, pit vipers and all venomous insects, including honey bees.
Up until now, residents risked fines of over 1,500 dollars if caught ‘in possession of’ bees. Despite this, hives painted grey to look like air conditioning units, or disguised as chimneys, have been defiantly sitting on rooftops across the city. Secret beekeeping ‘meetups’ and beginners’ classes have been well-attended, while ‘contraband’ honey was on sale at local farmers’ markets and high street shops, if you knew where to look.
Just Food launched their campaign in 2008 and worked with local businesses, beekeepers, gardeners and community members to encourage the Department of Health to lift the ban. At the hearing, supporters pointed out that keeping bees provides a rewarding and educational hobby, teaching everything from patience to environmental responsibility.
Beekeeper David Graves believes that “a ban on bees is like a ban on nature.” He travels into the Big Apple four times a week, all the way from Berkshire in Massachusetts, to sell honey extracted from hives placed on borrowed rooftops in the Bronx, Manhattan and Brooklyn. Customers say they prefer his New York brand, labeled Rooftop Magic, because it has a bouquet that is “ s w e e t e r , more floral and lighter tasting.”
Lifting the ban was a crucial victory for all those who support the industry and are keen to turn NYC into a greener, healthier and more sustainable place to live. “You get honey; you’re also pollinating gardens. It’s such a positive, happy thing to do,” declared a recently decriminalized beekeeper.
Contact: Just Food www.justfood.org
212.645.9880 ext221
Story from Positive News UK
David Graves and company on a Manhattan roof top; out of hiding
© Giulietta Verdon-Roe
by Sarah Wilkinson
New York City lifts its ban on beekeeping
