Urban beekeeping is becoming
something of a trend around Italian cities, with so-called
"backyard beekeepers" able to procure up to 10 kg of honey under
the right conditions, while spending less than 400 euros
altogether, queen been included.
The new hobby of urban apiculture follows on the heels of
other recent metropolitan trends such as terrace gardens and
vertical gardens.
Raising bees on an apartment balcony makes sense, given
that the bee is the only organism in the animal kingdom that
delivers a finished product ready for consumption.
The bee is also an excellent monitor of pollution in the
environment in which it lives - if it dies or swarms it
indicates an ecosystem at risk - a skill that's rather handy in
today's world.
Bees are easy to raise, they have a flight range of around
8 km, and they regenerate quickly with a relatively short
lifespan.
Becoming an urban beekeeper is easy, from the traditional
veiled hat to the gloves, from the balcony hive to the mini
honey combs, even to classroom courses on beekeeping.
One of the latest is being offered in Milan by Green Island
in cooperation with environmental group Legambiente.
Over a series of five lessons, future urban beekeepers will
learn about the world of bees, how to manage a hive from their
apartment balcony, current laws and regulations regarding urban
apiculture, as well as all the necessary steps for extracting
honey.
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