Do you love honey?
Do you live in Beachwood Canyon or the surrounding area?
Do you have a backyard or undeveloped hillside that doesn’t get much foot traffic?
With the help of Beachwood beekeeper, Chip Clements, we have for the past several years rescued local hives and swarms and placed them in our own Birdhouse Apiary and on hillside terraces and gardens throughout the canyon. Now that spring has arrived and our neighborhood’s native hives are starting to swarm, there will soon be rescued hives looking for a new home. If you have a property with an out-of-the-way corner of level ground, contact us! We’d love to hear from you!
Backyard beekeeping became legal in Los Angeles upon passage of the Backyard Beekeeping Ordinance in 2015. (View the approved ordinance HERE.) Chip is a registered beekeeper with the LA County Agricultural Commission and complies with the standards set out in the ordinance. The apiary (beehive or hives) must be kept a minimum of five feet from the front, side, and rear lot lines and a minimum of 20 feet from public rights-of-way or private streets, and bees must be given a consistent source of drinking water.
Establishing an Apiary
Chip and assistant beekeepers simply need access to the site, and clear communication with the landowner while hives are brought in and periodically inspected. If the backyard is on a hillside, the beekeeper may need to create a level platform (around 6’ x 6’) to place the beehive boxes, by digging into the soil and laying planks.
There is no cost to you, and you get the following benefits:
Free Honey!
After the hives become self-sufficient in their honey production and begin to produce an excess, we will harvest honey and share with the landowner.
Free Pollination Services!
If you have a garden or fruit trees on your property, the presence of bee hives will boost your yields considerably. This benefit extends beyond your property, too! Foraging bees can have a radius of approximately 3 miles, so your bees might help your neighbor’s garden and then meander into Griffith Park, helping to pollinate native flowers there.
Take Part in Saving Bees!
Honey bees are facing many threats due to habitat destruction, loss of beekeeping culture and skills, and a mysterious condition known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Maintaining chemical-free beehives is an excellent way to preserve their populations in our city.
Learn about Beekeeping!
Owners who are interested in learning about bees are invited to join Chip and his assistants, and learn the ins and outs of beekeeping.
If you are interested in hosting an apiary at your home, please contact BirdHouse Ecological Program Manager, Cameron Miller, via our Contact Form.
