Bees and Beekeeping in Encino

It’s perfectly legal to have beehives in Encino although I don’t know anyone who does. Perhaps most people worry about the neighbors. Perhaps it’s because we have enough bees. There are many wild hives in trees in the park, along public streets and hidden away on large properties unbeknownst to the owners. There are more than enough bees to keep Encino’s flowers, veges, shrubs and trees pollinated.

So the only complication most residents are likely to have is an unwelcome swarm of bees on their property. If that happens, do not call an exterminator – many of the supposed experts in bees will exterminate them. It is not necessary. Instead contact the Backwards Beekeepers (here) first. Their Bee Rescue Hotline is prominent on the website. They just handle bees; not wasps or hornets or yellowjackets.

One of their key members and an inspiration to many aspiring urban beekeepers in Los Angeles is Kirk Anderson – his website is (here) and it contains useful information. As regards what is called "colony collapse disorder" he says "It is obvious that bees are dying from being fed unnatural substances and being exposed to pesticides… I think everything commercial beekeepers are doing to the bees predisposes them to whatever they got going on. If you're moving them around and feeding them chemicals, to me it is not a mystery." Some recent research also suggests a devastating combination of a fungus (N. ceranae) and a DNA-based virus. Add mites, single-crop diets and global warming and you have a challenging environment for bees.

I do know several beekeepers who live outside Encino and they all advise would-be beekeepers along these lines: (1) it’s a lot of hard work, (2) there’s a lot of specialized knowledge, like how to manage new queens and swarming, (3) you need to be quite strong to manage the lifting and, of course, (4) be prepared to be stung a few times. If after all that you are still interested, contact Backwards Beekeepers and sign up for a class. Here is a really excellent article by a "newbee" beekeeper describing his experiences.

Photo credit: Jankó Péter (Wikipedia)