Bees cling to the hive during the harvesting process
Hello everyone. In this episode, we take a trip into the world of bee keeping with my friend and co-worker Daniel Duffy. He is one of the founders of the Woodlands Community Apiary, a small bee keeping operation run in The Woodlands, a historic graveyard and mansion nestled next to the Schuykill river. I was able to visit it this past fall on a day when the bee keepers were harvesting a batch of honey, which they sell as part of a CSA in West Philly. On the same day I went to document some sights and sounds, the lovely ladies of Skout Media were there to make a short film about the same thing. I highly recommend watching it here, as it will give you a good grounding in what the apiary is all about, and you’ll also have a chance to see some wonderful video of bees and the whole harvesting process. You can also get a very good grounding in the whole process of bee keeping (or “apiculture”) by visiting its Wikipedia page here, although Wikipedia may be blacked out in protest of SOPA (a very bad law which should not be passed) so I hope you can see it!
Apiarists at work in the Woodlands
Before visiting the apiary and sitting down to interview Daniel about his second-life as a bee keeper, I didn’t know much about bees aside from what most people know: they buzz, they sting, they make honey, and they make wonderful dog costumes. I did have a basic understanding of hive structure, the role of the queen, what royal jelly is, etc., but once we started talking I was dumbstruck by how much there was to know about something that is ubiquitous in any area with even the smallest amounts of plants or flowers. More than just the scientific knowledge I picked up, what was most affecting was re-framing the practice of bee keeping in my mind–coming to terms with the fact that in many ways it goes beyond just honey production or being a hobby. For some people, bee keeping is a form of spiritual practice, and one not too far removed from my own Quaker perspective on faith, religion, and God. This podcast is a meditation on listening, truth, and a spiritual discipline that started on the rooftop of an abandoned house. Please enjoy.
This episode features music by Feist, Modest Mouse, and Youth Lagoon. All rights belong to the artists.
Bees are treated with smoke while harvesting honey to calm them so they are less defensive
Empty racks are put into the hive. The bees build wax cells on them that store honey and eggs.
Daniel taking a break.
