Bees in Need

Two days after Hurricane Sandy pummeled through here and I’m still in a bit of shock at seeing all the footage and photos of the tremendous devastation in our area. Watching the news makes me want to cry. Seeing neighborhoods I know, visited, grew up in, worked in, demolished. It’s hard to bear. Seeing communities completely destroyed. I’ve been working from home for the last 3 days because the area near my office in Battery park is flooded. All the subway stations in the lower tip of Manhattan are completely submerged with water from the surrounding two rivers and also hitting Day 3 of absolutely no power. No power, no running water, no heat, no mass transit. I’m one of the lucky ones, I still have power, a hot shower, and heat. This Saturday, I hope to give back. To give blood and volunteer at the local shelter or food bank. I count my blessings that I made it through, it’s time to help my fellow neighbors and the community I live in and love.

Some other stories that are not in the press but also close to my heart have been circling around the Beekeeping community of NYC. I was so heartbroken to read about the destruction at the Brooklyn Grange Bee Apiary at the Navy Yards in Brooklyn. Brooklyn Grange is a commercial urban farm on top of rooftops in Brooklyn and Queens and this year they extended to the Navy Yards of Brooklyn and started a commercial apiary for honey production and bee breeding. The beehives sat along the edge of the East River and when Hurricane Sandy blew through on Monday, many of the hives went floating out to the river and into the sea. Other hives toppled over because of the wind. I feel very fortunate that our 2 beehives made it through the storm unscathed but these hives did not. I felt very sad reading about the bees. As a beekeeper, you become so attached to the livelihood of the hive.  I can just imagine the heartbreak they felt when they arrived at the apiary and saw the aftermath of the storm. Read the entire article here.