APRIL Kids' Page

BEE'S EYE VIEW . . . by Mary Anne Watson















Photo: Muhammad Mahdi Karim - see (1) below

Bees have been around for millions of years. Cave paintings in Europe show people harvesting honey 8,000 years ago! Bees have an amazing ability to find the best flowers for their food, so no wonder they have been around for so long.

Bees see with eyes, just like humans see with eyes, but unlike humans, bees' eyes are compound. That means, inside each compound eye are hundreds of single six-sided eyes arranged next to each other, side by side. Each of these six-sided eyes has its own lens. Each of these lenses is looking in a different direction. Whatever the bee is looking at, each lens adds a piece to the whole image. Think about a puzzle. Initially, there are many pieces that make up the picture. Looking at the pieces, you might see a lot of different shapes and colors. When the pieces are all in place, all put together, you see one complete picture or image. The bee's compound eye works in the same way.

Bees can see shapes, but see colors differently than humans. Their vision is pretty sharp or clear for the distance of about three feet.

Photo: Ralph Grimm - see (2) below

Bees can also see ultraviolet light that the human eye cannot see. The ultraviolet light uncovers colors and patterns in flowers that attract the bee to its source of pollen and nectar. Ultraviolet light makes for content, happy bees because the pollen and nectar give the bees energy to do what they do best - make sweet honey!

So, the next time you see one bee, remember: there are a couple hundred eyes looking back at you! ~ Mary Anne Watson

~ Page 2 ~

ABOUT THIS MONTH'S PHOTOGRAPHS:

(1) This photograph, "Apis mellifera flying," was taken by Muhammad Mahdi Karim, a Tanzanian student living in Bangalore, India. To see more close-ups of bees and other insects, visit his website at http://www.micro2macro.net/. (Required Note: Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.)

(2) This photo, "Eye of a honeybee," is by Ralph Grimm of Jimboomba, Queensland, Australia, and won an Honorable Mention in the 2008 Olympus BioScapes Digital Imaging Competition. All the entries use light microscopes to capture incredible images from the world of nature. You can read more about the competition and see a slide show of the winning photos for 2008 at the online site for Scientific American: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=bioscapes-contest-photos. And here's the link for the 2009 photos: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=illuminating-the-lilliputian-bioscapes-winners.

MORE, PLEASE . . . advanced investigations . . .

Check out scientist Andy Giger's webpage "B-EYE: See the world through the eyes of a Honey Bee" for some pretty amazing images: http://andygiger.com/science/beye/beyehome.html.

Below left and right:
Einstein how we see him . . . . and here he is from a bee's eye view - cool!

Do bees recognize human faces? Read the article from Science magazine: http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2005/12/02-02.html.

Do bees see in color? The dandelion on the left is how we see the colors; the one on the right is how a bee sees the same dandelion.

"Ultraviolet light, invisible to us, uncovers colours and patterns which draw them to the source of pollen and nectar - all hidden to humans without special equipment. This secret colour world was discovered in the Fifties and scientists realised that these distinct patterns were designed to act as "landing strips" or arrows, guiding the insects to the right spot."

Read more about it online: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-473897/A-bees-eye-view-How-insects-flowers-differently-us.html.

Apiary Workday 2

What a difference a day makes.

A corps of hardworking, dedicated volunteers made all the difference today as the Burgh Bees Community Apiary was transformed from an overgrown vacant city lot into a recognizable pollinator-garden-in-progress. From this . . .













. . . to this.









. . . click on photos for a full-screen view

Meredith and the Apiary Committee organized Workday 2 around three goals: preparing the busway fence zone, planting trees and shrubs around the apiary fence, and constructing three wooden above-ground planter boxes.

The busway fence zone was probably the most challenging task. The ground rolls down in a gentle grassy slope from the fence, and digging up a five-foot-wide swath along 160 feet bordering the fence seemed like an easy task in the planning stage - just a tick off the checklist before planting and watering. But when we put the shovel to the ground during a preliminary visit and hit rock-hard dirt, then actual rocks, and in some places concrete just three inches down, it looked like a heavy-duty rototiller would be necessary. So Alex and Meredith brought in the heavy equipment a few days later - and we lost the turf war again. (Alex said that The Runaway Rototiller would have made a good addition to the Kickstarter fundraising video collection.) That left option 3: pickaxes. This is an activity that defines the phrase "back-breaking." And so the fact that in just five hours' time, the 160 by 5 foot strip of land up against the fence was broken by picks, turned over again with two rototillers, and covered with landscaping cloth - well, that defies belief. And all the debris, roots, and grass tussocks - some two feet in diameter - were raked out, bagged, and carted away to the dump. Amazing.

While the fence gang tackled the concrete planting zone, another group of volunteers, planting trees and shrubs around the apiary fence, found the digging here just about as difficult. But perseverance was the word Saturday and the photos say it best: take a look at what our volunteers accomplished in just a few hours:

Seeing is believing.

Our third goal for the Workday was to build, fill, and plant three rectangular wooden planter boxes at the intersection of the two loops of the proposed Infinity Path. Michael Madonia supervised building the planters, Anna Kim coordinated mixing the soil and setting up the seedlings (following Mel Bartholomew's models in All New Square Foot Gardening), and once again our terrific volunteers "made it so." Here's the photo-op:

A day like this is a blessing.

A day like today encourages reflection on the generous spirit resident in each of us, that natural willingness to help and cooperate and take from the day the satisfaction of having built something special together. It's an easy, intuitive leap to consider the source of today's fruitful labor: the society of bees - bees as emissaries from the ultimately unknowable world of nature, for whom we believe we act as caretakers.

Or is it the other way around? A humbling consideration.

Heartfelt gratitude goes out to all of our volunteers, to those who donated supplies, tools, seeds, and plants to the apiary, to our neighbors on Susquehanna Street, and to Burgh Bees' expanding base of financial supporters, advisors, and friends. We will follow up today's post with two more, one to map out the specific species and planting zones as they now exist in the pollinator garden, and another, at the end of our Kickstarter campaign in early June, to thank individually all of you who have contributed to making the Burgh Bees Community Apiary a success. Listed below are today's Workday Volunteers. If you don't see your name, please let me know that I've missed you and I'll add your name right away.
And to each of you: G R A C I A S !

Meredith Grelli
Mona Abdel-Halim
Alex Grelli
Michael Madonia
Alissa Burger
Mary Ellen Meyer
Mark Meyer
Anna Kim
Linda Rathburn
Joan Guerin
Missy Olah
Michael Madonia
Mary Anne Watson
Christina Joy Neumann
Tenley Schmida
Rob B.
Jonathan
Jaime Munoz
Joe Zgurzynski & Dad
Annabelle & Luca Zgurzynski
Kimberly Musial
Lydia Konecky
Alexander Flurie
Justin Parisi
Sara Parisi
Randall Hall
Susan Barclay
Daniel Hatfield
Duncan Hutty
Brianna Stauffer
Josh Kucharski
Christine Fleming
Roberta Jones
Steve Repasky

POLLINATOR PERISCOPE . . . by Jeff Irwin

MARCH: A Great Invitation

Honeybees are excellent guides to the natural world. With a whiff of nectar or a taste of pollen, and a quick dance lesson, returning foragers relay precise directions to the waiting group of worker bees. They will find the food source with little difficulty. The success of the hive depends on this accurate communication.

Bees can also guide the rest of us. They're able to find pollen, nectar, and propolis even when it seems that nothing is in bloom. On a sunny, snow-covered day in February, chances are good that the bees are out and about, bringing in whatever the plants provide. It's remarkable, really, even for those of us in tune to the plants around us. But the bees and plants have been partners for far longer than we've been paying attention. There's much yet to learn.

So the next time you pass a tree or shrub, maybe a flower planting full of bees, consider the buzz an invitation: something wonderful is happening here, an experience open to all who place themselves under the influence of plant and pollinator. Won't you stop and look?





APRIL: Spring Gathering

What a spring! Perhaps we were due for some great weather after last year’s poor fall flow and the February snowmageddon. Whatever the cause, I’ll take it.

Here are some of the blooming plants that I’ve been keeping an eye on this spring:

Daffodils: The heralds of spring, all brass and circumstance standing in the late winter mud. Too bad they’re not very interesting to bees, as they’re often abundantly planted. Too many toxic alkaloids, perhaps, and not enough pollen.



Crocuses: Playing a quick game of peek-a-boo before taking their leave, the crocuses provide some pollen to bees. The crocuses around me are usually pretty sparse and only seem to be out in damp, cool weather, but I think that a mass planting could be attractive to bees if there’s a sunny day while they’re blooming.

Maples: Maple trees showed up on a lot of my pollinator research lists, so I was watching for bees in maples. Apparently I don’t know what exactly to look for as I didn’t see much happening. Now the seeds are fully formed and ready to whirl, so I’ll have to wait until next year’s buds to look again.

Bradford Pears: Not so delicately referred to as “tuna on a trunk” by Southern Living's garden blogger Steve Bender, (http://grumpygardener.southernliving.com/grumpy_gardener/2009/03/bradford-pear-.html), this tree used to be a favorite of urban developers. Consequently, there are lots of mature Bradford Pears around the boulevards and business districts. I liked the effervescent white blooms, but is there any buzz in this tuna bubbly? In theory, all pear trees should be ok for bees, but the stink of these trees might be more attractive to flies.

Redbud: One of spring’s most striking colors and good for bees. We should all get to know the redbud a little better.

Apple, Crabapple: Lots of blooming crabapple trees around town right now, so head out and look for bees. The larger bumblebees, in particular, are neat to watch bobbing around the blossoms.

Dogwood: Slender and elegant, attractive to a wide range of pollinators. Still in bloom at the moment.

Hawthorn: There are a few hawthorn volunteers at the apiary site. It appears that they’ve already flowered.

Dandelions: A key plant for bees and beekeepers. By my account, the first dandelion showed its trusting face in late March with the full bloom coming shortly thereafter during the warm period in early April. They’re now starting to go to seed, if they haven’t already been mowed down.


Violets: Another great lawn wildflower. There’s a kind of white butterfly or moth that I like to watch flit about the violets.

Forget-me-nots: A good symbolic plant for your true love’s tussie-mussie, particularly if your true love is a bee. So find a field of forget-me-nots, drink tea, and spend afternoons measuring time in spoons. It’s that kind of plant.


Ok, what have I missed? Where are the bees in your garden and neighborhood?
- - - Jeff Irwin







Post your comments to Jeff - and observations on what's UP in your neck of the woods - directly below.
And watch for Jeff's column on the First Sunday of every month.







- - - a Victorian tussie-mussie

G R A C I A S . . . by Roberta Jones

It has been a busy spring for Burgh Bees. We have successfully put together a Community Apiary video on the website http://www.kickstarter.com/ and have raised to date $2,115 of our $3,500 goal. I would like to thank Mary Grace Hensel, my friend and amateur videographer, for putting up with me all day and shooting video all over Pittsburgh. And thanks to Meredith Meyer Grelli for cutting and pasting the video to kickstarter.

Donations are also starting to come in from local organizations and Garden Clubs. Goose Creek Gardens donated many herbs to plant in the apiary's pollinator garden, and Allegheny County Garden Club donated $100, to name just two. We will publish the names of all our benefactors at the end of this first fundraising campaign. We appreciate everything you all are doing for the apiary and Burgh Bees. ~ Roberta Jones


Check out Roberta's video on kickstarter by clicking on the link below:
http://www.kickstarter.com/e/2X6we/projects/meyergrelli/a-community-apiary-in-pittsburgh

And here's the background on our fundraising project, also from the kickstarter site:

About us

Burgh Bees was established in 2008 with the simple mission of promoting bees and beekeeping in Pittsburgh. Since founding, we have trained 90 new beekeepers and established 4 demonstration apiaries throughout the city. Our long-time dream has been to establish the country's first community apiary, where city dwellers without yards can keep hives of their own and where we'll continue to teach classes. We're raising money for this apiary and an accompanying pollinator garden.

About this project

The world's pollinators, including honeybees, are dying at an alarming rate. And this not only has an effect on the flora and fauna in our environments, but also on our food supply. One of the best ways to counteract the effects of a dwindling honeybee population is to increase the number of beekeepers. In 2008, a group of backyard beekeepers established Burgh Bees to promote honey bees, beekeeping and the creative reuse of neglected urban land in Pittsburgh. Since our founding, the volunteers of Burgh Bees have:

• Established four demonstration apiaries in urban neighborhoods throughout the city in partnership with local urban farming organizations as well as the Pittsburgh Zoo;
• Trained 90 new beekeepers
• Initiated a monthly meet up for urban beekeepers to share their knowledge with each other and build a beekeeping community in the city; and
• Hosted dozens of open apiary visits and educational programs to Pittsburgh residents.

We are getting the word out about the challenges honeybees face, the benefits of honey bees in urban settings and the delights of local honey. Burgh Bees is also reclaiming abandoned urban lots and reactivating these areas with productive, positive energy and attention.

Over half of our class members live in dense urban neighborhoods, making it difficult for them to install “backyard beehives.” In response, Burgh Bees has worked with the City of Pittsburgh to secure a suitable lot for a community apiary and demonstration pollinator garden. At this site, those who have completed training will be able to place a hive of their own, under the auspices of Burgh Bees—utilizing our insurance, shared equipment, and knowledge.

We're raising funds for plants, signage, equipment, and first pollinator plants. The site will be developed using all volunteer labor from our committed community of pollinator enthusiasts!

Upcoming Events:

Thursday, April 22 . . . . . . . . . . Earth Day
Saturday, April 24 . . . . . . . Apiary Workday 2
Monday, April 26 . . . . . . . . . . . .BVABA Meeting
Tuesday, April 27 . . . . . . . . . . . Burgh Bees Beekeeper Meetup
Sunday, May 2 . . . . . . . . . . Apiary Neighborhood Honey Tasting
Sunday, May 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . National Wildflower Week
Friday, May 14 . . . . . . . . . . Apiary Ribbon Cutting with Mayor Ravenstahl - 3 PM
Saturday, June 5 . . . . . . . . . . . United Nations World Environment Day: Pittsburgh 2010 Host City
Sunday, June 13 . . . . . . . . .Apiary Warming Party
Monday, June 21 . . . . . . . . . . . .National Pollinator Week
Monday, June 28 . . . . . . . . . . . .BVABA Meeting

PHOTO PROGRESSION: JANUARY / FEBRUARY / MARCH / APRIL: MOVING DAY









JANUARY 31 2010

FEBRUARY 28 2010

MARCH 31 2010

APRIL 9 2010: MOVING DAY

NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ . . . by Frank Carr

The Shiloh Peace Garden

Spring came to North Point Breeze as if driven by a bellows, igniting the cityscape with magnolia and daffodil and forsythia blossoms. The plum tree on the patio has left its annual squall of blossoms and the cherry tree is shimmering into the long evening. And on the busy corner of Thomas Boulevard and North Homewood Avenue another bellwether of spring has quietly stirred.

Amid the pastoral oasis of the quiet corner lot a single figure worked the soil with a planting stick. So the dog and I walked over and said hello. It was Jane, a new gardener with Grow Pittsburgh, getting the soil ready for the third summer of the Shiloh Peace Garden. “Onions,” she said, when I asked what was up. “And more leeks.” The first planting of leeks was already a long line of green fountains standing nearly a foot tall.

Shiloh Peace Garden is a collaboration between a benevolent neighbor who bought the property hoping to “keep it green,” and Grow Pittsburgh, an established organization which manages the Frick Greenhouse Project only a couple blocks up Homewood at Penn Avenue. For the past two summers the garden has produced organic vegetables like leeks and peppers and zucchini and herbs and garlic which are sold on site, one day a week. On other days the vegetables are available at the Frick Museum Shop.

In addition to the delicious, healthy food now available on the corner, the Shiloh Peace Garden has become a happy center of quiet activity for the neighborhood on a busy intersection. Even in winter the garden had visitors and, after two years it has become an old friend. We will continue to see (and taste!) what’s growing in the Shiloh Peace Garden all summer long, just for you! You can dig up more information on Grow Pittsburgh and the Shiloh Peace Garden at http://www.growpittsburgh.org/.


Shiloh Peace Garden: Welcome!













East End Brewing Company's Annual Keg Ride Slated for May 14th
Speaking of old friends, another East End Tradition is fast upon us, and this one will begin on the very edge of the new Apiary! I am speaking of course, of the Sixth Annual East End Brewing Company's Pedal Pale Ale Keg Ride. Each year Hops Wizard Scott Smith and his cohorts brew the summer’s supply of Pedal Pale Ale and release it to mark the “beer community’s” start to the cycling and outdoor season. Here’s the word (and a great photo) from the East End Brewing website (go to the "Good Beer News" link on the site's home page, click on the archive link, and check out the March/April Good Beer News): http://groups.google.com/group/eastendbrewing/browse_thread/thread/4a8606a3057a3c5b

"Dust off that bike and polish up your liver - or maybe it's the other
way around? Regardless, it's time to gear up for this year's Keg
Ride. If you're new around here, and don't know what I'm talking
about, for the last 5 years, we've been delivering the very first
kegs of our summer seasonal, PEDAL PALE ALE in a very special way...
by bicycle. And for everyone riding along, the first beer is on me!
Just like the "Reverse Keg Ride" we did in the fall, this one's a
Charity Event too - with 100% of every dollar raised going to two very
worthwhile local charities. Plus we've got a bunch of new stuff this
year too...

- On-line registration/contribution, so no more huge line on ride day!
(Watch for a "Late Breaking" message when this goes live)

- Everyone registering EARLY gets a chance to win an East End Brewing/
Big Hop Cycle Jersey! http://ow.ly/1t9Lk

- Everyone registering EARLY gets a chance to win a Pittsburgh Cycling
Jersey! http://ow.ly/1t9GI

- Want to pull a keg? We're auctioning off 3 keg pulling slots to the
highest bidders! (Auction goes live about 2 weeks before Ride Day -
I'll let you know.)

Read all about the Keg Ride, see the stats and some photos from
previous years, and (eventually) get yourself registered right here:
http://www.eastendbrewing.com/node/830 And by all means, please feel
free to pass this link on to every single person you know. It's going
to be a great day, so I'll see ALL OF YOU and your bikes on May 14th!"

Okay, that’s the recent buzz in North Point Breeze. I’m sure the bees will come to know the garden, and probably the brewery too! Spring, after all, is a time for discovery. ~ Frank Carr

THE GREAT HIVE MIGRATION

Friday was an important day in the development of the apiary. The fence went up – and the bees moved in. Good neighbors Terri Howard and Ron McConnell came over to take a look, as did the building inspector. Ron and Terri’s advice: consider ways to make the fencing vandal-resistant. Building inspector’s instructions: get rid of the tires. Now that someone owns the formerly vacant lot, that someone is responsible for removing any trash dumped there. Meredith is checking into tire disposal and just how many we can dump at the dump.

- - - The new apiary fence . . . click on photos for a full-screen view

Robert Steffes and Steve Repasky did all the heavy lifting Friday. The hive from Mt. Washington was picked up and delivered first to the apiary around 10 AM. Then we took off to bring one of Robert’s hives to Mildred’s Daughters Urban Farm in Stanton Heights. Steve noted along the way all the houses from which he had ‘relocated’ raccoons, and squirrels, and bees (oh my) over the years. (Note to Steve: This might make an interesting Rick Sebak special: “Pittsburgh Critters That Ain’t There Anymore.”) Mildred’s Daughters Urban Farm is a good example of why Pittsburgh’s reputation as a city of unique neighborhoods is justly deserved. This 5-acre organic farm, one of the few remaining within the Pittsburgh city limits, is just 10 minutes from downtown, and has been deeded as a farm since 1875. Barb Kline and Randa Shannon "bought the farm" in 1999 from the DiCaprio family, farmers there since 1932. (Read Virginia Phillips' fascinating profile of Mildred's Daughters in the Post-Gazette's archive: http://www.post-gazette.com/food/20030814farmwoman0814fnp3.asp.) Barb and Randa helped found Grow Pittsburgh and are recognized leaders in the local sustainable agriculture community. They gave generously of their time and advice (and some seeds for the apiary) Friday, and showed us around the farm. Joan Guerin, a Burgh Bees steward and Apiary Committee member, will be managing the hive at its new location.

- - - Mildred's Daughters Urban Farm

Joan, Robert, and Steve set up the bees’ new home in a corner of the farm on a bluff overlooking the Allegheny River. The bees will have plenty of southern sun exposure, a bit of shade in the afternoon, (a great view), the company of three very cool dogs and, come May – peeps! Barb and Randa invited us back for a story on their soon-to-be-resident new flock of chickens, and an update on the bees, in early summer. Sincere thanks to Mildred’s Daughters for their hospitality, planting advice – and the bagful of fennel seeds!

Left: Robert passes the hive tool to Joan
Right: Best Buds

A quick stop at Meredith's to pick up her adopted hive and add it to the truck, and then . . .

- - - Meredith's hive

- - - On the road again – to the Ladora Way Urban Farm in Hazelwood. This community garden is in a transitional stage at the moment, waiting for new leadership from the neighbors and property owners. It’s a beautiful, hopeful corner of Hazelwood, tucked away on a side street near the Monongahela River. Over-wintered cabbage plants, strawberries and plantings of thyme were thriving. Robert and Steve loaded the two Burgh Bees hives onto the truck and we were off for Braddock. (For more information on Hazelwood history check out Adam Fleming's 2009 article in the City Paper's archive: http://www.pittsburghcitypaper.ws/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A58473

- - - Ladora Way Urban Farm

- - - Cabbage patch

- - - Thyme

And on a side note: Big Jim’s Restaurant & Bar – “In the Run” – on Saline Street in Hazelwood, was the perfect place to stop for lunch on a Friday afternoon. Big Jim’s is one of those representative Pittsburgh neighborhood establishments that retain the easy charm and friendliness of a local favorite that’s been on the corner – and in the run – for generations. Try the ham and cabbage soup, the sausage hoagie, or the corned beef on Russian rye – and the french fries with beef gravy. Who invented that anyway? We weren’t sure. I thought it was a Pittsburgh original, along the lines of the Primanti sandwich. Steve thought it was a Canadian recipe. It turns out Steve was right (from http://jscms.jrn.columbia.edu/cns/2007-04-10/hirshon-poutine.html):

"Restaurateur Martin Beaudoin wanted to try something different with the
menu at Red Dot when it opened last year in Milwaukee. So the Quebec native
offered his customers a treat from back home: poutine, pronounced “poo-teen,” a
dish of French fries and cheese curds smothered in brown gravy . . . "

"Canadian legend traces poutine to Quebec restaurateur Fernand Lachance. In
1957, a trucker asked Lachance to mix French fries with some cheese curds he
spotted on a nearby counter. Lachance warned the mix would make a mess, or
“poutine” in French slang, but he took the order anyway. The trucker liked the
dish, so Lachance put it on the menu. Within a few months, poutine had become a
regional hit. Lachance added gravy to the recipe in 1964 to help melt the curds."

"Oddly enough, poutine did not spread much beyond Quebec until a few years
ago. Fans tie its emergence as a Canadian national dish to a historic American
event: President Bush’s first run for the White House in 2000. On the campaign
trail, a comedian posing as a journalist convinced Bush that the Canadian prime
minister’s name was Jean Poutine, and that he was endorsing Bush’s candidacy.
The prank aired on a popular Canadian sketch show and pushed poutine permanently
into the limelight."

If you like Primanti's you'll like Big Jim's. And you'll like Guy Fieri's website Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (http://www.foodnetwork.com/diners-drive-ins-and-dives/index.html), where I found Emeril's recipe for fries and gravy: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/poutine-fries-and-gravy-recipe/index.html. Yinz will love it.

We headed out to Braddock next, our last stop for the day. Lots of stuff has been written about, tossed about, and dissed out about Braddock recently, and Robert mentioned that Braddock’s mayor, John Fetterman, would be on the PBS program NOW that very evening. (You can still catch the program online at http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/615/index.html.) No question Braddock, the mayor, the closing of UPMC – n’at – makes for spirited conversation around Pittsburgh. Check out the links below, from the PBS site, for a sampling:

The town of Braddock's website:
http://www.15104.cc/
The New York Times: Braddock Journal—Rock Bottom for Decades, but Showing Signs of Life:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/us/01braddock.html?_r=3&pagewanted=1
The Pittsburgh Channel: UPMC Braddock Hospital Closure Stuns Struggling Community:
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/21313350/detail.html
The Pittsburgh Channel: Green collar jobs in Braddock:
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/19232432/detail.html

But we’re here to round up the Braddock bees, and the former Convent at St. Michaels, where the hives sit in a sunny corner of the back garden, protected from the wind by a high wall in winter, and surrounded by dense stands of knotweed and goldenrod in the summer, has one feature the other locations today did not: stairs. Here’s where the hive carrier really comes in handy. Looks like the tops of two aluminum chaise lounge chairs, whacked off in the middle and held together with a couple of bolts. (You could make a cool 60 bucks selling these gadgets online . . . ) But no, it’s really a “Hive Carrier” and did prove indispensable at Braddock.

Braddock was the last pickup in The Great Hive Migration, and now we’re taking the bees home to the apiary on Susquehanna Street. The six hives Robert and Steve set up today may be rearranged slightly in the days to come, but right now they are facing the south, the apiary back wall, and the busway fence. The fence will be planted with trumpet vine later this year – bees love trumpet vine – and on Saturday, April 24th, our second Apiary Workday, Burgh Bees members and volunteers will be out planting sunflowers, goldenrod, and black-eyed Susans along the busway fence, wildflowers in the meadow zone to the right of the apiary, and various shrubs and flowers around the newly installed apiary fence. If you’re not in ‘digging distance’ – or even if you are – send us your comments, questions, or photos of your own pollinator garden. We’ve started a list of links to the right of this page – send in your own recommended sites.

- - - Robert and Steve making use of the Hive Carrier

- - - Six hives in their new home

- - - Apiary Workday 2 planting zones

Finally, a great site to visit for all beekeepers, wannabees, and folks interested in pollinators and gardens is The Great Sunflower Project: http://www.greatsunflower.org/. We ordered some sunflower seeds from them for the apiary, and plan to participate in their ongoing project to monitor bees, sunflowers, and important pollinator issues. Join us!

POLLINATOR PERISCOPE: What's UP in the Apiary?

Easter is a fitting day to post our first monthly column, and this Sunday we invite you to observe a moment of gratitude for the beauty of spring here in Pittsburgh.

What's UP in your neck of the woods? Or better yet, what's blooming in your garden today? Send us a post - and your photographs - and join the conversation.

Later on this month Jeff Irwin will join us as your host for the Pollinator Periscope column. Until then, send us your comments, questions, garden news - and especially your garden photos.

"A man's interest in a single bluebird is worth more than a complete but dry list of the fauna and flora of a town." ~ Henry David Thoreau

POLLINATOR PERISCOPE: Photos from Northmoreland Park, Easter Weekend 2010

. . . click on photos for a full-screen view ~