Urban Beekeeping

Urban Beekeeping

No garden!  No shed!  No space!  Yep – urban beekeeping has its challenges.

However, it is very possible (and actually I am told cities are great for beekeeping and urban honeybees produce honey of the highest quality).

So, what issues need to be considered when beekeeping in the city?

High quality honey:  In the city there is often a wider range of pollen and nectar-producing plants, flowers and trees than can be found in the country where monoculture farming can mean the bees rely on oilseed rape.  This diversity of flowers allows the bees to make aromatic, tasty, award-winning honey.

Neighbours:  In a single hive, at peak season there can be up to 60,000 bees.  However, outside the typical hive there will just be a few bees buzzing around which do not bother anyone. To keep neighbours happy, talk with them about it first, print off a leaflet from the BBKA website and give them a jar of honey each year.  Also, it’s important to understand and manage swarming so that this is kept to a minimum.

Location:  Possible urban sites include, back gardens, allotments, parks (discretely) and rooftops (up to a mile high).  Knock on people’s doors, or offices, to see if they are willing to “host a hive”.

Space: No shed.  Try the beehaus which allows you to have minimal equipment and is suited to urban beekeeping or those who just want one hive.

If you want to watch a passionate talk about urban beekeeping, please click below:

If you liked this video, you might like another motivational talk on honeybees and beekeeping, I have embedded on my honeybees page.

Please share your urban beekeeping stories by commenting below.

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