March 31, 2008
Bee Keeping in San Francisco?
Yes. It's true. Some people keep large amounts of bees in San Francisco. Well, at least one does that we know of: Jon Rolston. And after our beebie-jeebies subsided--because, really?!--Matt Fisher's amazing mini-documentary on Current TV about Jon and his honeybees is fascinating. He just...has a beekeeping operation in the backyard of his Victorian apartment. (We especially love how he didn't ask his neighbor's permission because they speak a different language. Very San Francisco.) Ack.
Anyway, we're absolutely fascinated by this Rolston man. Also, in which neighborhood do you think he lives? Because, no offense, we don't want to visit it although we're thrilled he's out there in SF with his buzzing hive. Also plus, we're an apologetic NIMBY on the issue of urban beekeeping. Bees are scary.
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sounds like Bernal Heights!
They are a number of bee keeping operations in SF and they have their own association. Check out http://www.sfbee.org/.
Where was he when that bee tanker exploded two weeks ago? We need all the help we can get!
I think it's cool. I had a friend whose father kept bees in their backyard. Seriously, you barely knew they were there. You could walk right up to the hive, the bees couldn't have cared less. That movie "The Swarm" was fiction.
You used to be able to buy various types of SF honey at Tower B4 it became Mollie Stone.
There was Glen Park, Noe Valley, Twin Peaks...
Don't know if they still have it for sale there...
blue canary is correct.
my landlord currently keeps three hives in our backyard and they are no problem at all. they just came back to the panhandle/usf neighborhood from a polination field trip to almond orchards somewhere.
bees are not scary. they are, in fact, "busy". pretty interesting to watch em and they do the world a valuable service. i'm glad they are healthy and active.
my landlord gave me a large jar of the honey and it's really nice, plus local to some degree.
i think rainbow grocery might still carry the various neighborhood varieties of honey.
~~~gogo
I'm not a big fan of bees, but they do provide a valuable service and local honey is very good for you - it apparently helps allergies!
It's much better than a meth lab next door. Right?
one of the reasons i love san francisco is because compared to the hole from which i came, it has very few bees. i am mildly allergic and incredibly phobic... nothing will make me run, make an ass out of myself and "eek!!!" more like a girl than that ominous buzzing.
Jon is a pretty amazing person. We were in the same Creative Writing Program at SFSU. Out the hundreds and hundreds of people in the program he's one I distinctly remember, mostly for his charming weirdness and a story about a dog getting its period. Check out some of his writing at: myrobotispregnant.com
Are they Aficanised Bees?!
What's with the paranoia, guys? Seriously, some of you are starting to look like city folks who never visit where the fog won't go.
Urban beekeeping is as old as cities themselves. There have been hives in the middle of Paris (in the Luxembourg Gardens) for nearly a century and a half. It is also believed that urban bees make the best honey because the of the diversity of flowers they pollenate.