A Buzz in the Neighborhood:

Amy Renner is giddy as she opens the top of the hive. While this visit is another routine check on one of the many hives Renner maintains in backyards all across Los Angeles, this colony is particularly exciting. In June, the bees that inhabit the hive were taken from an old garage and placed in a more comfortable home. Renner is checking on them to see how they are doing as the weeks get colder. She passes a spout billowing smoke over them and opens the lid gently to find a thriving nest filled with hundreds of bees. For Renner, the beekeeper saying is true, “it’s like having thousands of precious pets.”

Renner is one among hundreds of urban beekeepers in L.A. who have spread hives across the city. As the number of bees across the country decline, cities have transformed into homes for hundreds of beehives. You can find them on the rooftops of restaurants, in airport fields, or behind a neighbor’s house. Commercial bees are struggling, so bee-enthusiasts across the state are rallying to preserve bees and educate communities about the benefits of urban hives.

Across the country, honeybee colonies are experiencing larger losses. (hover to enlarge)

Pollinators like bees are responsible for over 15$ billion in crop value and “one of every three bites” of food according to the U.S. Agriculture Department. In California, bees are a vital part of the state’s agriculture, pollinating crops like almonds, avocados and citrus fruits.

The 2010s marked the fastest years of loss, where many factors like disease and climate change brought on CCD (colony collapse disorder), years of rapid bee colony decline.

In the winter of 2018, a survey by the Bee Informed Partnership revealed that beekeepers in California lost 30% of their honeybee colonies, which is less than the national average at nearly 40%. While 2019 was not the worst year for bees, which was in 2012, it is the worst winter loss in 13 years and has many concerned. “Environments are becoming more and more stressful for bees,” according to Danielle Bilot, a researcher at the University of Colorado, who has studied urban pollinator habitats. “The worst part is that it’s a number of things contributing to the decline,” said Bilot.

Most of the decline and stress in colonies has many causes, including pesticides, poor crop diversity, and mites. In the colder months, said Bilot, “Varroa mites are the most dangerous.” These mites are parasitic, latching on to bees and weakening them by ingesting their body tissues.

“Seeing a hive of bees collapse is really devastating,” said Ruth Askren. Askren is one of the founders of the Honey Tribe, which maintains hives in several backyards across neighborhoods from West Hollywood to Santa Monica. She recalls finding hundreds of tiny golden bee bodies piled on the ground beneath a hive last February. “It was so sad to see the entire colony die,” said Askren, “really challenging.”

Askren believes it was due to nearby pesticides intended to kill weeds, which compromise the immune systems of bees. But she cannot be entirely sure of the cause. The risks the bees face, said Askren, are precisely why beekeeping is so important to her and the other enthusiasts in Los Angeles.

Hear Paul Hekimian speak about beekeeping in L.A. (Photo Courtesy of Facebook: Paul Hekimian)

In 2015, L.A joined major cities like New York and San Fransisco by officially legalizing urban beekeeping. “People have had bees for decades, just quietly,” said Mike Handerson. “Making it legal is making it more popular though.”

Mike began beekeeping ten years ago as a part-time hobby. Now retired, Handerson still suits up in his white bee suit and volunteers to help move swarms from people’s homes to proper hives. “I used to see maybe like a couple of interested people at club gatherings, but over the years it’s grown to 40 or 50,” said Handerson. “Every year, there’s more.”

Paul Hekimian, director of Honey Love, estimates that L.A has over 100 beekeepers and 9 to 13 feral hives per square mile. This abundance of feral colonies means that beekeepers are “always busy.” Hekimian believes the rising interest in beekeeping is driven by “save the bees” movements and local passion for sustainability, and as interest grows, and more people keep bees, different forms of beekeeping emerge.

In L.A., most beekeepers choose one of two options for their hives – they either keep European bees, usually shipped from a breeder, or feral bees, which are a common “wild” type in the area. Feral bees, called Africanized bees by most beekeepers because they are hybrids of the African bee (Apis mellifera scutellata), are generally more defensive and lees susceptible to varroa as European honey bees.

“Each beekeeper here is different,” said Hekimian. “You have people who treat varroa in their European bees, others who go a completely natural way.”

'Each beekeeper is different'

The community of beekeepers is still quite divided over which type to use. The Beekeepers Association, for example, suggests only having European honey bees, which Backwards Beekeepers, a club that ended its meetings in 2013 but still maintains an active community, prefers another approach – raising feral bees in a hands-off manner.

Hekimian also prefers this approach. For him, it’s not treating the bees is an organic way to ensure they have a strong immune system. “On the East Coast and other areas, when you buy bees, their immune systems are very weak, and when you introduce them to an urban environment, they often die,” said Hekimian. “So there’s no reason to buy bees when you can just source them from local beekeepers or your neighborhood.”

Caution signs popular with urban beekeepers. (Courtesy of All Things Honey Shop)

Hekimian operates hives in his backyard in Santa Monica. He caught the bees when they were a swarm in the tree of a nearby home. Hekimian resettled them in hives behind his house and now harvests honey only in small quantities, giving it to friends and neighbors. “Ideally, [the bees] become independent… get into a rhythm of being able to forage effectively, adjust to seasonal changes and manage parasites on their own,” said Hekimian.

“Los Angeles is an ideal place to keep bees,” according to Jon Reese, president of the Los Angeles County Beekeepers Association. The mild winters and availability of nectar year-round, even if its scarcer in the winter months, is perfect for colonies. The diversity in plants and environments also yields a wide variety of honeys.

“Honey from the coast will taste very different from honey from in the mountains,” explained Reese. Each honey has a distinct color, flavor and consistency. Some lighter kinds of honey have notes of eucalyptus, while more golden varieties often have citrus undertones. Reese believes each neighborhood produces unique flavors. “Bees usually roam in a 3-mile radius, so it’s also dependent on what people have in their backyards,” said Reese.

A Sanctuary

The backyard is the sanctuary of urban beekeepers. Beekeepers who operate multiple hives are usually entirely dependent on county rules and surrounding homeowners. Hives must be registered with the L.A Agriculture Commission, and the city only allows one hive per 2,500 square feet of property in single-family home neighborhoods. Yards with hives must also have a barrier at least six feet tall between hives and other properties as well as a water source.

For hives that are on other people’s land, Amy Renner tries to cultivate a close relationship, so she can come in and out of yards easily. “It builds a great community,” she said, “someone calls, says they have a swarm somewhere and we all rally to find the perfect place to put them and keep them happy.”

However, not all neighborhoods are welcoming. “People with always be afraid of bees,” said Renner. “They’re afraid for kids, their dogs, and I get it.” Renner’s worst encounter with bees was five years ago, after removing a group of bees from a birdhouse she took off her gloves, thinking the coast was clear when a swarm flew out of a nearby tree. She was stung thirty times and in pain for several days. Now, she laughs about it. “That was a real learning moment,” said Renner casually, “I feel like every keeper has a story like that.”

To win over skeptical neighbors, Renner has a simple solution: she brings them honey. “The more I speak to people about the job, the more they warm up to the idea of having bees as neighbors,” said Renner.

***

Beekeeping comes with other uncontrollable challenges, like forest fires, said Reese. “Fire season is always nerve-wracking,” he said, “because it’s hard to move hives quickly.” The Thomas Fire in 2017 destroyed about 70 of Mission Beekeeping’s hives, and last year’s Woolsey fire burned half of the colonies at Eli’s Bees, said Reese.

During the fire season, smoke can affect the colonies. Although keepers use a smoker to calm honeybees for a short time, prolonged exposure can have some unintended consequences.

According to the L.A. County Beekeeper’s Association, when bees smell smoke, they can anticipate a wildfire and the destruction of the hive. Instinctively the bees begin consuming as much honey as possible for the energy to flee and find a new nest. Research suggests that smoke and other air pollution also interferes with the way they communicate, causing confusion and leading to a bee’s inability to forage effectively.

Renner hasn’t had to evacuate any of her hives yet, but every season brings its new challenges. “The climate here changes a lot. Sometimes we have a dry season, sometimes a wet one,” she said. She is always monitoring for mites, lack of water, pesticide signs in the neighborhood, hot days and cold days. Despite this, Renner is hopeful this season will be plentiful, she’s looking forward to the possibility of more honey production due to a wet 2018.

“A rainy year like last year always helps and makes them happy,” said Renner as she covered the hive, satisfied with the day’s work.