A new online community dedicated to urban (and suburban) beekeepers, has just been announced. Site owner Michael Franklin, a landscape designer and “beekeeping enthusiast” from Louisiana, says he hopes UrbanApis will grow into “a place where beekeeping hobbyists can exchange information to help them become better beekeepers and connect with other enthusiasts in their area.”
Some of the features he’s been working on:
- Original Articles — improve your skills and knowledge
- Municipal Codes Search — to find out the codes related to beekeeping in your area, including state regulations where applicable
- Hive Diaries — keep track of your activity or publish photos for everyone to see
- Retail Directory — find supplies online
- Message Boards — get in touch with other urban beekeepers and trade experiences
The site is just getting started –it launches officially on 1 February 2009 — so the information is still sparse (and much of it is specific to beekeepers in the United States), but this seems to be one of the few websites that sets out with a focus on urban beekeeping. City-dwellers with bees or an interest in keeping honeybees can check out this new community at www.UrbanApis.com.
Thanks for the great article. It’s actually Canadian-friendly, so members outside of the US can definitely let other people know about the regulations in their area. I seeded the database with US information, so I didn’t want people to think they were excluded.
Anyone with information or suggestions should feel free to email me.
Great article. What a great site to learn about city beekeeping and share ideas with others.