Bees in the Big Apple
Posted June 17, 2010 in Green Enterprise, Health and the Environment, Living Sustainably, Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
Last week, NRDC’s New York office welcomed its newest residents -- three hives of honeybees. As I type, the bees are buzzing merrily on the roof above my head, gathering pollen and nectar from the nearby parks and rooftop gardens.
New York City legalized beekeeping in April, and what better way to welcome this sweet beginning than by making a home for our pollinator friends on our very own rooftop? My sister Christine is a beekeeper in Westchester. Last Monday, she and her partner Charles Branch brought in three hives, each with a queen bee and thousands of diligent worker bees. The bees were screened into their hives and driven through the streets of Manhattan to our Chelsea office, where they were whisked up the freight elevator to their new home. When the hives were strapped in place and the mesh screens were pulled off, the bees began to explore their urban surroundings.
In recent years, bees have been threatened by a phenomenon called colony collapse disorder in which adult bees abandon their hives, leaving behind honey and bee larvae. Beekeepers have reported losses from 30% to 90% of their colonies. CCD has been reported all across the United States and in Europe. There are several potential factors behind pollinator decline, including pesticide exposure, habitat loss, nutritional deficiencies, and diseases and parasites. This decline in our bee populations has troubling implications, because the pollination of bees is responsible for every third bite of food that we eat -- $15 billion worth of agriculture in the United States.
NRDC has been fighting on several fronts to address pollinator decline. Our Litigation Team won an important victory last December, overturning registration of a potentially bee-toxic pesticide, spirotetramat. This chemical interferes with insects’ ability to reproduce, and studies showed that it has serious effects on the survival of adult bees and the development of their young (brood). The court ordered EPA to re-evaluate this pesticide and to provide the public with an opportunity to comment on the pesticide before re-approving it for use. Our Science Center has also been hard at work for bees, collecting data on the factors behind CCD and lobbying for increased research funding into the causes behind pollinator decline.
Keeping hives on our roof is a sweet complement to our bee advocacy work in courtrooms and on Capitol Hill. Inspired by her work on the pesticides case, NRDC legal fellow Vivian Wang took a winter course on urban beekeeping with the New York City Beekeepers Association. Once a week, she will trade in her business suit for a bee suit to help tend to our rooftop hives.
With some luck (and thanks to the bees’ industrious nature), NRDC may have its first honey harvest in a couple of months. In the meantime, these honeybees will pollinate the plants in our parks and gardens, contributing to a greener New York City.
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Comments
Paulo Anjou — Jun 17 2010 04:12 PM
Who is the hot beekeeper standing next to that tall unknown building?
Andrew — Jun 17 2010 05:39 PM
Are those water towers in the background the water source for the hives?
Vivian, either you have not been using that bee suit enough yet (it is so clean and white) or it is in your lineage to have such crisp white laundered clothes. Which is it?
Congratulations to NRDC and to you all for the fine work with the bees.
- Andrew, New York City Beekeepers Association
Lybess Sweezy — Jun 17 2010 05:59 PM
Congratulations on the installation of the NRDC bees, Vivian! We have this neighborhood covered! Lybess
Dave G. — Jun 17 2010 05:59 PM
What a great organization!
sam compton — Jun 17 2010 09:51 PM
NRDC kicks ass! Natural resources need a defense these days and it's great to see this group pay such close attention to a valuable resource. Bring on the pollination, education, and honey! GO Vivian!!--Sam, NYC Beekeeper
Sam Elchert — Jun 18 2010 12:27 AM
Vivian show some love to the camera next time! Sweet pic, sweet article, sweet honey to follow. Has NOE seen this? You guys should fly him out for a visit/work. It would be fun to see him get stung. Anyway, see you around.
s
BJ Fredricks — Jun 18 2010 06:55 AM
Congratulations Vivian. Here's to someone who practices what they preach! We miss you here in our Brooklyn 'hood, but perhaps your winged friends will come visit on a gathering expedition.
Benjamin Gardner — Jun 18 2010 07:01 AM
If it weren't for people like Vivian working tirelessly to stay on top of these corporations, which keep trying to find different ways to take our money and then poison us, who would? Both inspiring and vaguely disturbing. Thank you Vivian and everyone at NRDC for being courageous and persistent in the work you do for, and with, honey bees and the rest of us.
Ezra M Hug — Jun 18 2010 08:47 AM
A friend in college told me that what the world needs isnot more environmentalists but business people with conscience. Nice to see this ethic at play with Ms Wang and her support of urban beekeeping. Keep it up!
Paulo Anjou — Jun 18 2010 09:07 AM
In this photo, she appears to be looking for that big monkey that once climbed that tall building in the background. Or perhaps she is scouting out a new location for more hives.
Anna B — Jun 18 2010 06:25 PM
Eeeee! This is terrific! Congrats!
sherri brooks vinton — Jun 18 2010 09:53 PM
Good for the NRDC and good for New York! Great to see all kinds of urban farming.
Michael Hegedus — Jun 20 2010 10:51 PM
It's not very often a lawyer trades in the suit for the environmental vail. Especially in this greedy town! Keep up the hard work getting rid of the pesticides for us beekeepers and the planet! Thanks VIvian!!
Michael Hegedus Pres. Brooklyn Beekeepers Club
BestBeekeeping — Jun 21 2010 04:10 PM
Fantastic to see NRDC leading by example! More bees in NYC (& evetrywhere else for tht matter) can only be a good thing, both for the bees and for us. Enjoy your honey!
Monique & Laura — Jun 30 2010 12:24 PM
Congratulations on the hive and great job joining the ranks of New York City keepers! We are all greener for it. Seems it's only a matter of time till everyone's doing it. Keep the buzz going and the honey-combing!