Photography: Amina El Kabbany
Words: Jordan Kushins
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It鈥檚 a typical summer Saturday in San Francisco 鈥� foggy and frigid out west towards the ocean and grey to the north in Golden Gate Park 鈥� but this morning the sun is shining brightly on a sloping half-acre haven nestled in the shadow of Mount Sutro. Birds chirp. Warm breezes blow. Leaves rustle. The steady flow of traffic on 7th Avenue is audible but feels a million miles away from where I鈥檓 sitting 鈥� a small clearing surrounded by African Daisies, Lilies-of-the-Nile, Jerusalem Sage, Mexican Lobelia, and ten total strangers. We鈥檝e all come here, to the idyll that is聽Garden for the Environment, to learn the basics of urban beekeeping.
Urban beekeeping is very much a thing, and interest in the practice is on the rise. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e overseeing a colony: tending to their health, and making sure they have adequate space and resources to thrive,鈥� says Fernando Aguilar, our intrepid instructor. Per the聽, the western honeybee pollinates nearly 30% of our produce 鈥� 鈥淣ext time you eat an apple, thank a honeybee!鈥� their brochure cheerily suggests 鈥� but their livelihood has, in recent years,聽聽from pesticides, extreme weather conditions brought about by climate change, and Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), a menace that has been ravaging the bee population since as far back as the 1980s. Classes like these are an opportunity to engage and educate, first and foremost. 鈥淚n nature, bees make their own hives in hollowed-out enclosures 鈥� mostly trees or logs. We use man-made hives that have been built to fool bees into thinking that it鈥檚 just like home.鈥�
With his dusty sneakers, well-worn jeans, and faded T-shirt featuring a trio of illustrated聽Apis mellifera, Aguilar exudes outdoorsman vibes; but he was a bit of a late bloomer when it came to pursuing his passion for the environment. Around 12 years ago, he found himself in a period of personal transition. 鈥淲hen your kids grow up and leave the nest, you鈥檝e got all this free time,鈥� he says. 鈥淵ou start to gravitate towards what you鈥檝e always wanted to do. For me, that was natural sciences.鈥�
The rest of us have gathered here together from around the Bay Area with various motivations and expectations. There鈥檚 Kathleen, who took her first organic gardening class at GFE 20 years ago, which later inspired her to start planting on rooftops; she and Teri live in Bernal and volunteer at聽Alemany Farm, and have been considering starting a hive in their backyard. Sharine was gifted four tickets by her boyfriend, and brought along a few friends who had previously accompanied her to an urban beekeeping dinner event at 18 Reasons in the Mission. In 2012, Raphael debuted 鈥�,鈥� a short film that is both 鈥渕ystery and love story,鈥� he says, and is centered on a beekeeper; he lives around the corner and has also been thinking about making things official with a hive of his own.聽Cynlie聽is a designer looking to try something new. Danny is the garden manager at the聽College Hill Learning Garden, and Aguilar has been assisting her with some hives she inherited.
Aguilar鈥檚 own journey started with gardening, and soon discovered the siren call 鈥� ahem, buzz 鈥� of bees. After a year of research and regular sessions at the SFBA, he invested in a hive of his own, and soon began teaching beekeeping classes for adults, as well as kids at the Boys & Girls Club, where he鈥檚 also a board member. Aguilar now has seven hives, strategically dotted across the city and up in Mendocino county, and advises countless former students and friends who have set up their own.
It鈥檚 a heck of a lot of work, and like the vast majority of those who get into beekeeping, Aguilar does it purely for the love of pollinators. 鈥淭here are some professional beekeepers who truck in thousands of hives for almond pollination, and some we call 鈥榮ideliners鈥� who may make a little money off of their honey,鈥� he says 鈥� but those are the exceptions. 鈥淢ost of us do it because it鈥檚 a rewarding connection to the natural world.鈥� In other words: It鈥檚 a hobby, albeit one that requires much more than a casual commitment.
Eventually 鈥� no matter how trained and skilled you are 鈥� you will get stung.
鈥淢aintaining a hive is a big responsibility,鈥� Aguilar says. 鈥淵ou know 鈥� like having a pet.鈥� Except, of course, this pet is a superorganism composed of anywhere from 5,000 bees in the winter to 80,000 in the hyper-productive summer months.
If that sounds super intense and potentially dangerous, that鈥檚 because it can be. Eventually 鈥� no matter how trained and skilled you are 鈥� you will get stung. 鈥淭hey say you鈥檙e not really a beekeeper until you get stung,鈥� Aguilar tells us. 鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely going to happen.鈥� He reckons it happens to him about 15 to 20 times a year, and recalls for us a few of his greatest pricks: the time he was driving a van with 鈥渁 million鈥� bees in the back wearing a ventilated suit but no veil and 鈥済ot whacked鈥� in the neck, so he had to pull over to the side of the road somewhere in the middle of Chico; the time he realized that bees鈥� stingers go through jeans; the time he was truly wowed by a singularly potent poke. 鈥淚 call that one the orthodontic bee,鈥� he says. 鈥淵ou know how when dentists give you a shot and they look for the nerve, they might have to shoot you three or four times to find it? This guy got me right on the first try.鈥� He brings his hands to his chin and mimics his face blowing up like a balloon. We wince and groan as a group, yet he鈥檚 largely unbothered. There鈥檚 a solid lesson there: cover your face.
To demonstrate, he grabs his 鈥渄isgusting dirty bee jacket鈥� made of a fine, sturdy mesh that was once white but is now a medley of browns and greys. He zips it up, grabs the hood, brings it over his black-and-white Giants cap, and completely disappears behind the veil. It鈥檚 this 鈥� or, often, a full suit 鈥� plus a nice pair of goatskin gloves that will provide as much body protection as possible.
(A quick note about bee stings: Severe allergies and anaphylaxis are deadly serious 鈥� beekeepers should always keep an EpiPen handy 鈥� but they鈥檙e less common than the public might perceive. 鈥淟ocal reactions like itching and swelling are normal,鈥� Aguilar says. 鈥淭hat doesn鈥檛 mean you鈥檙e allergic.鈥� In addition, he hopes to set the record straight on a common issue of mistaken identity. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a misconception that wasps and bees are the same thing. Wasps are carnivores that will ruin your picnic and continue stinging you multiple times. Honey bees are more or less 鈥榲egetarian,鈥� so to speak. They won鈥檛 attack unless they鈥檙e defending themselves or their home.鈥�)Having the right gear is a non-negotiable part of being a beekeeper. The hive itself 鈥� which, depending on the design, looks like a stack of boxes, or a kind of modified filing cabinet 鈥� is filled with rows of vertical frames. 鈥淭he frame is everything,鈥� Aguilar says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 where the bees secrete wax and where they build their honeycomb. It鈥檚 the nursery where they put their babies, it鈥檚 where they put their food.鈥�
An unfortunate reality of modern beekeeping is the necessity of miticide. After harvesting honey, Aguilar recommends treating the hive to wipe out mites, which he says are the commonly accepted root cause of CCD. As its gotten more coverage in the past decade or so, responsible procedures like this have become an 鈥渆thical鈥� concern. 鈥淭reating hives with integrated pest management (IPM) is just a fact of life now,鈥� he says.
As one might expect, hives are incredibly busy hubs with a lot of constant activity. The flight path must always be kept clear, and wits must always be kept in check: no sharp, sudden movements, no clanging and banging, no shouting. 鈥淵ou gotta be calm and deliberate,鈥� Aguilar says.
Before we put our new knowledge to the test, it鈥檚 time to fuel up. Aguilar brought three glass jars filled with a trio of different honey samples for us to try; each is a completely different hue, from light, bright gold to deep, molasses-y brown. We nab toothpicks, dip them in, and taste, and it鈥檚 remarkable how the flavors vary from one to the next 鈥� they鈥檙e all sweet, but in completely different ways. 鈥淐onnoisseurs often prefer the darker colors,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 like wine. Go for whatever you like.鈥� Another bonus: Honey will last indefinitely, so long as it鈥檚 the real deal. 鈥淪ome people think that crystallization means that it鈥檚 gone bad,鈥� he says. 鈥淎 lot of stuff being sold out there is half sugar syrup. Crystallization is actually a sign of pure honey.鈥�
It鈥檚 been a little over an hour of learning. Now we鈥檙e ready. It鈥檚 time to meet some bees.
There鈥檚 a palpable sense of excitement when everyone starts suiting up, as we become what looks like a crew on our way to deal with an alien invasion or dramatic hazmat situation. Except we鈥檙e all smiling.
We make our way on a plant-lined dirt path up a small hill to get to the hives, which here are painted in a cheery mix-n-match of yellows, greens, and purples. We gather around, arranging ourselves so everyone has a good view.
It鈥檚 been a little over an hour of learning. Now we鈥檙e ready. It鈥檚 time to meet some bees.
Aguilar uses a smoker to mollify the bees: It鈥檚 a spouted metal can with an accordion-like bellows attached, and slightly resembles a friendly, old-timey robot. When he gets it going with repeated pumps, the smell of a cozy campfire wafts through the open air. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 know 100% why it works,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut bees communicate with pheromones, and smoke masks those. It also makes them think there鈥檚 a forest fire. They鈥檒l start digging into the honey to get as much food as possible before they take off to get away.鈥�
Whatever鈥檚 going on, it sends them all into a group stupor; when he slowly pulls out a frame, the bees are deeply chill. A few flit away. A few lazily drop to the ground. 鈥淎re they drunk?鈥� someone asks. 鈥淭hey might have just been born, and haven鈥檛 developed their wing muscles yet,鈥� Aguilar says. 鈥淪hould we pick them up?鈥� someone else wonders aloud. 鈥淭hey鈥檒l make their way back,鈥� he says.
Maybe the fresh knowledge has allayed any fears and made us brave (or maybe the smoke has somehow soothed us too), but all of us humans are also deeply chill. I thought I might be nervous, but I feel more excitement and curiosity than anything else. Aguilar hands the frame around so whomever is interested can hold it themselves. 鈥淚t smells sweet!鈥� someone says. There鈥檚 a general sense of awe that鈥檚 settled over us, coupled with the kind of camaraderie that comes when you鈥檙e in a somewhat weird situation with strangers.
When the frame is passed to me, I take it carefully and realize that IRL bees are not something I鈥檝e ever really looked at up close, and especially not en masse. My general response if one lands on me in the wild is to freeze and look away (maybe if I avoid eye contact they鈥檒l leave me alone) or to flail like a madwoman (maybe they鈥檒l be more scared of me than I am of them). But here, now, after gaining a new understanding of them? They鈥檙e lovely, and more than a little magic. It feels pretty special to be entrusted to handle them, if only for a minute.
Aguilar sees this as a kind of make or break moment. 鈥淵ou can read books and hear talks and watch videos,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut until you open up a hive, pull out a frame, and feel the energy and vibrations of 500 to 1,000 bees at once, you won鈥檛 really know if beekeeping is for you.鈥� And every one of us emerged sting-free.
It was a unique experience made all the more special because of the particularly pleasant setting.聽Garden for the Environment聽was established in 1990, and director Maggie Marks calls it 鈥淪an Francisco鈥檚 teaching garden.鈥� In its 29-year history, the space has offered classes, workshops, volunteer opportunities, and intensive sessions aimed at helping beginners get their hands dirty. 鈥淥ur mission is to make this an educational place for everyone,鈥� she says.
In addition to slightly more sporadic 鈥� or seasonal 鈥� programming like beekeeping, bouquet making, urban chickens, rainwater harvesting, and summer fruit tree pruning (which I passed by on my way in this morning), there are monthly core courses like composting, edible gardening, and how to establish your own sustainable garden. All of these are designed to be satisfying one-offs, but, taken together, form a comprehensive approach to gardening that is both inspiring and galvanizing.
Even those with enough of a passing interest in being surrounded by well-tended greenery are welcome to come hang out at GFE, which is free and open to the public. 鈥淲e have fantastic instructors, but we like to say the garden is our best teacher,鈥� Marks says. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l see how things grow; you鈥檒l see animals and insects and birds. There are no gates on the garden; it鈥檚 here to be a refuge in whatever way people choose. It would be tough to come here and not learn something; there鈥檚 always something happening around you.鈥�
