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DiYVR is a weekly spotlight on all things handmade, done-by-oneself, crafted and hacked around Vancouver, featuring profiles of makers, event announcements, exhibits and general DIY fun. Know someone or something we should cover? Email me!Don’t forget! We have till September 19th to complete the first ever DiYVR Challenge! |
Urban farming is becoming more and more a part of food culture in Vancouver, and beehives are popping up alongside backyard and community plots. What with the important role bees play in gardening – that would be pollination, for the uninitiated – this makes perfect sense. Of course, beekeeping isn't exactly as accessible to a first timer as planting a row of peas.
Enter Melissa Cartwright and Backyard Buzz. Working with her elementary-school classmates and the Inner City Farms project that has them transforming backyards around Vancouver into small-scale organic farms, Melissa installed beehives in a couple of the yards.
I asked her for some tips on local resources for people interested in keeping bees themselves, and she mentioned there's a monthly Vancouver meetup. She also recommends the Honeybee Centre in Surrey as a great place for learning and taking courses, and the Richmond Beekeepers Association. For the less DIY-inclined, Melissa will soon offer her services to keep other people's hives – she'll do the work and you'll keep the honey.
Melissa's been beekeeping for a couple of years, having taken a course and finding a mentor in an elderly gentleman who's been keeping bees for decades, and she plans to expand Backyard Buzz next season. If you're interested in having her keep bees in your yard in the future, Melissa's taking a list of possible hosts. Drop her a line through the Backyard Buzz Facebook page or on Twitter.
Backyard Buzz honey will be available any day now at the Marche St. George, and through Inner City Farms CSA boxes. I got to taste some honey straight from the hive when I visited her installation on the roof of Marche St. George's garage, and it was amazing.
