Beautiful gardens are a sight for sore eyes, especially in the urban setting. They create a natural blend of colours, fragrances, and sounds that excite all the five senses, breaking the monotony of the concrete jungle. Blooming flowers give a burst of colours and scents that attract wildlife of all sizes. From the hovering butterflies to the buzzing bees to the chirping birds, you can bask in the beautiful, soothing sounds. With a careful selection of trees and specialized supplies such as a professional beekeeping suit, you can create a highly functional garden.
Increase the world’s bee population
Modern farming methods, which entail creating vast swathes of monocultural crops and heavy use of pesticides, are devastating to bees. Such farming practices lead to bees prematurely dying in huge numbers across the entire continent. Known as Colony Collapse Disorder, the phenomenon is threatening to wipe out the entire bee population.
Given the crucial role bees play in the ecosystem, this decline in population is threatening the world’s food supply. Bees pollinate natural plants and trees as well as the crops that the human relies on for food and sustenance. Their symbiotic relationship with flowering plants is a crucial component of the food chain.
Provide a safe refuge
Unlike commercial bee farming, urban beekeeping doesn’t subject the bees to harsh conditions to boost productivity. Instead, its primary aim is to provide a haven for these highly threatened species to thrive. However, that doesn’t preclude you from enjoying their sumptuous offering once in a while.
It may seem surprising, but bee colonies thrive well in the urban environment if you offer them a small space in your garden. Bees can fly over large distances in search of plant nectar. That means you don’t have to worry about their food supply if you have a small garden.
In an urban setting, pesticides and insecticides don’t pose a considerable threat to bees. That’s a welcome relief as the absence of these chemicals allows for a healthy bee population. It also affords you a healthy and nutritious crop of honey.
An inexpensive hobby
Rearing honey bees on your garden is a relatively inexpensive hobby that isn’t labor-intensive. It calls for relatively few supplies and once you have the hives set up, you’re ready to go. You can purchase a starter pack that comes complete with a queen bee or use opt for a swarm lure that will attract the nearby bees into the hive.
Once a bee colony establishes in the hive, your work is done, and you can leave them their devices. Just be sure to place the hives in a safe place where they don’t pose a threat to your little ones and pets, and protect them from predators such as ants and honey badgers. Other than that, you only need to provide them with water during the dry season and free their hives from snow during winter.
Urban beekeeping lets you put your backyard to good use. In addition to creating a thriving garden, you also help to conserve the threatened honey bee population. You also get to harvest copious amounts of delicious honey for your home consumption.
If you have a little space in the backyard, you can try your hand at urban beekeeping. That way, you can create a thriving garden with the added benefits of harvest copious amounts of honey for your family.