photo by María Helena Carey
The topic of insects is quite popular in my house these days. We spoon heaps of honey on top of Greek yogurt at breakfast, so the topic of bees rouses interest. While locally-sourced honey is said to help children develop immunity to allergies, we mostly like it because it’s sticky and delicious, and besides, its golden goodness is the perfect topper for all sorts of things. You can now buy the most local honey you’ll find from the beekeepers tending hives at Kingman Park and Congressional Cemetery.
This weekend local beekeepers’ honey will be matched up against hives from across the city at the DC State Fair. Congressional Cemetery is selling their honey to raise funds; they’ve sold over 150 jars already, so drop by soon. Bees from Kingman Park provide the labor for H Street Honey, and it’s available directly from the beekeepers. Soap made from beeswax and honey from H Street Honey, made by store owner Leigh Byers at Hunny Bunny Boutique, costs $5.
The DC Beekeepers Alliance is an excellent resource for all info that buzzes. They remind us that if we take care of the bees, the bees will take care of us. Bees have some choice restaurants at their disposal here on Capitol Hill. Think of the cherry and pear tree blossoms, and the thousands of tulips and daffodils planted around the Capitol grounds. Plus, there’s the assortment of plants outside the U.S. Botanic Garden and the swelling number of community gardens. Want to make your yard more hospitable to bees? Head to Ginkgo Gardens or the Frager’s Garden Center and load up on brightly-colored flowers including cosmos, sunflowers, black eyed susan, and even rosemary. The hellebore, also known at the Lenten rose, blooms early in the year, and provides a tasty snack when there’s little else around. Bees are mighty hungry after emerging from hibernation.
Bees have gotten some attention on Capitol Hill lately, especially a not-so-small swarm that turned up on the Senate side of the U.S. Capitol Building in June. Local beekeepers captured more than 15,000 honeybees that day. If you see a swarm, call — not email, not text — the DC Beekeepers at (202) 255-4318. Fear not, the swarm is likely made up of female worker bees looking for their queen and trying to find a new home. The bee population in the United State is waning, and if their colonies continue to collapse we’ll see significant detrimental effects on not only the food supply but our landscape. Plus, who wants thousands bees hanging out “on the wrong side” of their neighborhood?