[printguy]

We are in the process of proposing to our town that the town allow and endorse, the establishment of a community apiary - one that incorporates a few hives in a fenced off yard with a viewing area, on town supplied land. Our town thinks it is a great idea but wants to hear of other municipalities that have helped established a community apiary. We envision school children coming to the apiary to learn how vital pollinators of all types, with an emphasis on honey bees, are to human existence.

If your community does this, or you know of a community that supports something similar to what we are hoping to accomplish, please message me the particulars.

Thank you.
- The Essex County Ontario Canada Beekeepers

 

[JWPalmer]

I think this is a great idea. Hope the town allows it to develop.

 

[kilocharlie]

Ojai, California has such a lot. Down in the old sherriff's honor farm property where there is a Raptor Recovery program, near the creek. Too bad it is not a better flower bloom zone! Its good during sage and buckwheat, that's about it. I never used it. What they need is a community indoor / outdoor wood shop, flatbed truck, and Winter storage shed. Then it would be a really cool asset to the beekeeping community.

 

[Alex Madsen]

https://www.pressherald.com/2019/10/06/georgetown-kindergarteners-learn-about-bees-by-raising-them/

Georgetown Maine public kindergarten has a Apiary. While not a community Apiary it certainly has similar considerations.

 

[JConnolly]

I think a community apiary is a good idea but it will require some ground rules and you should definitely consult your county apiary inspector about that. The very last thing you want in a community apiary is someone who doesn't take care of their bees.

 

[kilocharlie]

JC is correct. It needs to be hashed out between the local bee club, the bee inspector (County Agriculutral Commissioner if you are in California), and whoever controls the property. Insurance needs to be considered, and a Epi-pen or three should be on site, and several regular beekeepers should know how to administer the shot if it ever became necessary.

Lockers are a good idea, as is a community honey room, the indoor / outdoor woodworking area, Winter storage shed for supers, and probably a half dozen or more other ideas. A flatbed truck would be over the top!

 

[ruthiesbees]

One of our clubs put some hives in the local Learning Garden run by the master gardeners. The town required that we fence off the apiary so no one could get near the hives. Because this area is prone to flooding and we get a hurricane or two each year, it hasn't been too successful yet as far as beekeeping is concerned, but we have done a lot in the way of community education, which is what we were focused on. https://communityofgardens.si.edu/items/show/12286

 

[My-smokepole]

Look up tim Ives on FB he runs one as i understand.

 

[GregB]

I have been with the Community Gardens for many years.
Starting the next year, I will be stepping away - tired of it.
I value my remaining personal/family time too much to stay in certain community projects (well, still continue participation in some projects still - I got several).

There are lots of negatives in the "community" things that wore me out.
One classic observation - there will be few who will do the most all work and contribution - there will be others who will obtain the most all benefits (while not really contributing and not honestly trying either).
Be warned.
Unless there are very well defined rules and regulations and the scope (agreed upon) AND ruthless enforcement of those - it will be mostly a mess and a heart-breaker for few honest people.

 

[Tim Ives]

Look up tim Ives on FB he runs one as i understand.

Yes, with Unity Gardens South Bend Indiana since 2012

 

[kilocharlie]

I have been with the Community Gardens for many years.
Starting the next year, I will be stepping away - tired of it.
I value my remaining personal/family time too much to stay in certain community projects (well, still continue participation in some projects still - I got several).

There are lots of negatives in the "community" things that wore me out.
One classic observation - there will be few who will do the most all work and contribution - there will be others who will obtain the most all benefits (while not really contributing and not honestly trying either).
Be warned.
Unless there are very well defined rules and regulations and the scope (agreed upon) AND ruthless enforcement of those - it will be mostly a mess and a heart-breaker for few honest people.

How true - this brings up a point I forgot to mention - you need ENOUGH enthusiastic newbies and ENOUGH experienced beekeepers with enough slack in their system to allow beekeepers to be beekeepers and bees to be bees, AND to get all the work done in a fashion acceptable to the bees. The more energy in the group, the less the effect of so few doing all the work and so few reaping all the honey. If it is set up with a constitution and by-laws, there needs to be a balance of power and a system of checks and balances.

 

[Jpfbeek]

How could you possibly coordinate varroa treatment in such an apiary? 10 or 15 people with 50 or so hives all doing varroa management their own way on their own schedule in one lot sounds like a nightmare. I suppose if you required people to pay an annual fee per hive and had a competent beekeeper doing all varroa treatment for the hives it could work. That seems like a pretty narrow market though. The problem is the kind of people who need space for bees aren't the most skilled or knowledgeable on average and vice versa.

 

[Tim Ives]

How could you possibly coordinate varroa treatment in such an apiary? 10 or 15 people with 50 or so hives all doing varroa management their own way on their own schedule in one lot sounds like a nightmare. I suppose if you required people to pay an annual fee per hive and had a competent beekeeper doing all varroa treatment for the hives it could work. That seems like a pretty narrow market though. The problem is the kind of people who need space for bees aren't the most skilled or knowledgeable on average and vice versa.

My bees my way. Which I've never treated since starting in 2001.

 

[GregB]

My bees my way. Which I've never treated since starting in 2001.

You can not say the same about a dump called - Community Apiary.
We tried to do one - "chem free".
No takers.
A no-go.
Actually, a really good thing it never happened - in the retrospect.

Seriously, we are talking that bee centralization is not good - from the common sense of pest/infection control and containment.

Then we propose a mixed dump from unknown, heterogeneous sources aka "community apiary".
OK for potatoes - maybe (even their I can tell few stories of mine - being chem-free potato grower).
Not OK for bees; I would not bother personally.

Again - someone should tell the "organizers" to do their feasibility and risk study before moving a finger.
Why keep stepping on the same rake that many already stepped on (and got hit on the forehead)?