If you’re not afraid of or allergic to them, you could soon spend some time with bees as part of a new program sponsored by the District’s Department of Parks and Recreation.
On Monday, DPR announced its urban beekeeping program in partnership with the nonprofit D.C. Beekeepers Alliance. Provided that you are a District resident who’s completed a 12-hour course on beekeeping (which, if you didn’t know, is legal in this city), you can “apply to keep [your] personally-owned honeybee hive on one of seven DPR-designated” sites.
“Space is very limited,” the department advises. “Qualifying applicants will be placed on a waiting list, and offers to participate in the [program] will be extended on a first come, first serve basis.”
According to DPR spokesperson Gwen Crump, the seven beekeeping sites for the program are:
- Columbia Heights Community Center, 1480 Girard St. NW (Ward 1)
- Bruce Monroe Community Garden, 3000 Georgia Ave. NW (Ward 1)
- Friendship Community Garden, 45th and Van Ness St. NW (Ward 3)
- Twin Oaks Community Garden, 14th and Taylor St. NW (Ward 4)
- Upshur Community Garden, 14th and Upshur St. NW (Ward 4)
- Trinidad Recreation Center, 1310 Childress St. NE (Ward 5)
- Lederer Youth Garden, 4801 Nannie Helen Burroughs Ave. NE (Ward 7)
Those interested in the program can apply here. (Mentors are required for it, although they’ll be provided if you don’t have one, DPR says.) Crump explains that the D.C. Beekeepers Alliance “certifies approximately 75 individuals annually,” adding that other beekeeping organizations in the D.C. region also offer courses.
And remember: If you don’t get in, it’s probably best not to take your anger out on the Beyhive a beehive.
Photo by Darrow Montgomery