Helping Bees

Yeah. I have a bit of a thing for bees. I rather like having them around...and pollinating fruit for me.

Ironically, the best environment for bees is...cities. We don't spray as many pesticides and herbicides where most of us actually live. And urban beekeeping is on the rise.

Copenhagen Airport has also been "on the rise," planning a major expansion. Then they discovered a pond on the property they'd just purchased was home to an endangered species of toad. Oops. They left clear space around the pond - which is now overgrown and full of flowers. Somebody had the bright idea of renting space to some of Copenhagen's beekeepers.

Now airports all around the world are starting to get in on this. Airports waste a lot of space. Space you can't build on because it's too close to the runway. Why not bees? (Some airports are also providing grazing space to horse and large animal rescues).

And in another amazing development, Cedar and Stuart Anderson have invented a new way to harvest what the bees make.

The Flow frame is designed to encourage the bees to put their honey in an already partially formed comb (and if you were a bee, wouldn't you do that), from which the honey can be...tapped like a beer keg. No need to open the hive, no need to use smoke to calm the bees, no need to suit up. It's less stress on the bees - and much easier for hobby apiarists.