The
Torontoist looks at the benefits of urban bee hives and profiles the small, but growing, Toronto bee-keeping community.
"The Fairmont Royal York hotel got much buzz when they kept rooftop honey bees in creatively named hives and used the homespun honey in various dishes served at their restaurant."
Last year, New College at the University of Toronto enlisted the help of Brian Hamlin, beekeeper extraordinaire�Hamlin's the one leading the workshop, at the Toronto Portlands Energy Centre, in the photos accompanying this article�to install some hives on the rooftop of their 45 Wilcox residence (seen here getting the New College bees ready for winter). Krishan Mehta, director of advancement at New College, is enthusiastic that this simple act of food sustainability could rev consciousness among students.
"Having hives in our unit shows students how an urban landscape can mesh with sustainable food production," says Mehta. "The bees are pretty low maintenance to keep and yield such a great return."
"With such a positive outcome, Mehta thinks it would be great if U of T would consider expanding the project."
"Still, newfound beekeeping knowledge can't do Torontonians much good when we're faced with the restrictions of the Ontario Bees Act, which would cancel out the many fantasies of urban rooftop hives. Just as those city dwellers without a backyard sought out public space to grow vegetables, though, so too should those without legal space to tend honey bees seek public areas to keep hives."
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Torontoist