The Bees Knees

::Image via Omlet

I have a thing for bees. I have a sort of romantic vision about beekeeping, perhaps because there were always beehives in the forests near where I grew up and we could buy huge pots of honey from the local bakery.

Anyways, the decline of bee populations in general is a real tragedy. The European Food Safety Authority reports that in Italy alone, up to half of the bee population may have died in 2007. Bees are a vital part of many healthy ecosystems, as they are key pollinators of plants including many of our crops and vegetables.

It is crucial that in developing urban farming, we do not forget this vital contribution from bees and other insects. A new urban beehive called Beehaus could provide a great way of introducing bees into the urban context. By putting Beehaus on their roofs, city dwellers could collect up to 20kg of honey each year according to Natural England.

Last year I thought of including beehives in a park design I was working on, but it was discouraged because of the risk of people and children getting stung. Having these beehives on private roofs may be an answer to introducing bees into the urban context and helping maintain healthy bee populations.