TWO KILLED AND ONE ATTEMPT AT THE FARM

21 July 2010

Sometime between the late afternoons of Monday July 19 and Tuesday July 20, an unknown person(s) intentionally sprayed pesticide into the entrances and ventilation holes of the two San Francisco Bee-Cause (SFBC) honey bee colonies at HVF.  The same person(s) tried to do the same to a third, smaller colony on site, belonging to Chris Burley.

The killing of the two mature SFBC colonies was complete.  The thousands of bees that died immediately or rushed to the entrance for fresh air fell onto the screened bottom board and clogged up the entrance to the hive, making escape impossible for any of the other bees and turning each hive into a gas chamber.  Chris Burley’s colony sustained a loss of approximately 60-70% of its individuals.

The distinct scent of household pesticide could be smelled around the entrance and ventilation holes of the SFBC hives, and around the piles of dead bees.  A sample of the residue from around the ventilation holes and a sampling of the dead bees have been preserved for analysis.  A police report has been filed.

Each colony was healthy and thriving at HVF, and likely consisted of 60,000-100,000 individuals.  Each was well on her way to producing 20-30 medium frames of honey that we planned to sell to support the work of SFBC.  The honey was to be extracted during a HVF Honey Extraction class to take place on August 1st and another to be scheduled for September/October.  We will proceed with the Honey Extraction class on August 1st but we will extract honey produced by SFBC’s Alemany Farm hives.

 

When considering the replacement cost of the equipment and hive contents which must be discarded, the market value of the thriving colonies, as well as the market value of the honey in the hives and to be produced by the colonies into October, the economic loss is in the range of $1,000 per hive.

Beyond the economic loss, however, is the emotional loss and the loss of educational opportunity the hives were to provide at HVF.

In Memoriam

Since their arrival on-site, I suspect many in the HVF community may have developed a affection for our HVF colonies.  Sure, honey bees are “just insects” but they are amazing beings.  Archeological evidence of our relationship with honey bees has been found in Spain, Greece, Italy, India, South America and throughout the Middle East.  According to an Egyptian myth, honey bees are the tears of the sun god Ra.  I admit, after coming home last night, I shed tear over the murder of these two colonies.

In a sense, they were my “babies.”  I started each colony in Fall 2009 by taking small splits from my existing backyard hives.  I gave each split a new queen specifically purchased for her genetic traits that better positioned her and her progeny to withstand the evolutionary stresses of varroa destructor mites and the bacterial, fungal and viral diseases spread by those mites.  The colony in the mint green hive was headed by a Cordovan queen raised by a bee producer who has been selecting their breeder queens for hygienic traits.  The colony in the bright yellow hive was headed by a New World Carniolan queen.

Each new colony was overwintered in a small, 5-frame hive box in my backyard, as what we beekeepers call a “nucleus colony”.  I tended each colony as she grew to fill a full 10-frame box, drawing out new wax comb, and filling the cells with pollen and nectar and raising new generations of individuals every 4 weeks.  When we installed the hives at HVF in late May, each filled two hive boxes.  At their death, each colony inhabited three hive boxes but was populous and productive enough to need a 4th box for excess honey storage which we planned to have added this week.

As noted above, the murder of these honey bee colonies also represents a loss of educational opportunity for the HVF and broader communities.  Even if the culprits intended to do harm only to the bees, they harmed me personally whose bees and equipment are on loan to SFBC, to the charitable goals of SFBC and the educational goals of HVF and SFBC.

These two colonies were to be joined by three more within the week.  Together, the five colonies were to be used for beekeeping classes not found anywhere else in the Bay Area – ongoing, season- focused, “hands-on” beekeeping classes.  The first such class was to take place on July 31st.

Ignorance and unwarranted fears

The murder of these two honey bee colonies can only be the result of unwarranted and inexcusable ignorance and criminal intent.

Persons who have experienced a systemic allergic reaction to insect stings are understandably fearful of any type of flying, buzzing insect that can sting.  However, wasps (most typically yellow jackets in SF) account for the vast majority of sting incidents.  They can sting repeatedly.  The European honey bee who can sting only once and then dies is rarely a culprit.  She is what I call a “flora-vore”.  Although she does not actually eat flowers, she only eats the nectar and pollen of flowers.  She has no interest in us or our scents (e.g., perfumes) unless we block her flight path to or from her hive, or open up her hive.  Unlike wasps that are omnivores, honey bees also have no interest in our food, drinks or garbage, not even our sweets.  In short, honey bees by their very nature do not present a health and safety threat to humans, not even to those who have a systemic allergy to insect venom.  That is why beekeeping is legal within San Francisco and our Health Code sections 50-51 provide:

No person shall have, keep, maintain or have in his possession or under his control any wild and potentially dangerous animal as defined [  ], unless excepted therefrom [  ]

[A] wild and potentially dangerous animal is defined as an animal which is wild by nature and not customarily domesticated in the City and County of San Francisco and which, because of its size, disposition, or other characteristics could constitute a danger to human life or property. Such wild and potentially dangerous animals shall be deemed to include:

[Class Mammalia and Repitilla lists omitted]

Any other species of the animal kingdom (as opposed to vegetable or mineral) which is venomous to human beings whether its venom is transmitted by bite, sting, touch or other means, except the honey-producing bee.

Comments (36)Add Comment
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My condolences
written by chuck b., July 21, 2010
That's awfully sad. You have my sympathies for your loss(es).

I hope you can use this event to help get the truth out about honeybees so someday people won't be this violently phobic. (Fewer people, anyway.)
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Police?
written by Dan, July 21, 2010
Have the police been notified? This should be considered an act of vandalism at least, if not animal cruelty.
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written by mary good, July 21, 2010
as a gardener in the lower haight, i have noticed, and appreciated the increased bee presence in my own gardens since the hives arrived at hvf. at this past sunday's workday, i spent a good amount of time when i was supposed to be cutting down favas, instead standing near the hives in rapture and bliss...the humm, the golden fuzzy bodies, the vibration near my face...oh how i love bees, and i fell in love with these particularly.

i am sickened and saddened to learn of their decimation. i am so sorry to karen, chris and all other hvf folks who have lost their best and most industrious volunteers.
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written by Dog Island Farm, July 21, 2010
Wow! This is incredibly heartbreaking. I can't believe anyone would be so heartless as to intentionally spray a pesticide into your hives. I hope you catch whoever did and are able to recoup the costs from them.
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horrified
written by Ann Duncan, July 21, 2010
What an absolute tragedy! Little wonder you're mourning the loss of 'your babies' and the far-reaching impact they were to make in your community.

Rich blessings as you honor them and rebuild...
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Shame !
written by Larry Narachi, July 21, 2010
The destruction of the hives is senseless. I am shocked this could happen...sorry for the poor bees - I am mourning the loss.
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Very sad and very cowardly
written by Alexandra Danieli, July 21, 2010
Doing something like this is so unnecessary. I wish there were observation cameras. I just want to know what goes on in people who do this and talk some sense into them...
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written by Jen, July 21, 2010
This is just unbelievable. I just don't understand why someone would do this. I was at the farm this morning and saw the hives. Just devastating.
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written by jennifer, July 21, 2010
I am so sorry for your loss. What a horrible and senseless crime. My heart breaks for those poor murdered bees.
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So, so sad..
written by Wendy, July 21, 2010
I can't imagine killing bees. They just seem to be one of the best things on the planet, totally benign. My heart goes out to everyone at the farm.
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written by Doug Ward, July 21, 2010
Very, very sad indeed.
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A painful reminder
written by Bill Murphy, July 21, 2010
What an outrage....we live in perilously ignorant and violent times. The sickness of the soul of the individual(s) that did this is a sign of our culture's widespread alienation from the very forces of nature that sustain us.....what an ugly reminder of the vast amount of work that is yet to be done to bring us back into balance with our life support system.
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written by Amanda Morrison, July 21, 2010
This is such upsetting news! It really feels tragic loosing all of those bees. How sad! I am shocked that someone would do this, but the explanation that it is someone who is afraid of being stung makes sense. It is wonderful that you explain in this article about the safeness of honeybees. We all need to be sure to educate people about this when we can. This is something about urban farming that I had not considered so much- the general need to educate others about the safety of it all. It is very foreign to some, and it will take all of us to share the truth about the general safety of working with Mother Nature.
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written by Claudia Abbott-Barish, July 21, 2010
That is so shocking Chris, I'm so so sorry. I can't even imagine what kind of deranged individual could be capable of such a ludicrous action.
Poor little things. So sorry
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TWO KILLED AND ONE ATTEMPT AT THE FARM
written by Paul , July 22, 2010
With the fact that bee colonies around the globe seem to be under stress, this senseless slaughter of two colonies is disgusting and disgraceful. My initial thought is the culprits should be sprayed repeatedly with the same substance.
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Volunteer at The Free Farm @ Gough & Eddy Bee Lover & Severely Allergic
written by Kris Iversen, July 22, 2010
I am so sorry and sad to hear about the bee massacre at a sister urban farm. I am allergic to bees (systemic reaction causing me to always carry an epi pen) and work The Free Farm @ Gough and Eddy on Saturdays. We have hives as well. I have never been attacked by bees and have only been stung by stepping on a bee barefoot or other accidental means. This is such a sad action of ignorance and I hope the individual that did this is brought to justice as so many educational opportunities are missed with this massacre. Sending good vibes to the Hayes Valley Farm from The Free Farm. . . smilies/sad.gif
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Tragic, violent loss
written by Cynthia Sandberg, July 22, 2010
I'm so sorry at your loss, and completely outraged that someone would do this. Our bee hives have been an endless source of amazement, learning, and need for us and the plant population they pollinate.

When we teach our beekeeping classes here in the South Bay, students are fascinated and blown away by the way these beings take care of each other, fine their pollen sources, and create delicious honey.

It's so cruel what those criminals did. I hope you can somehow find the culprits.
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awful
written by joe, July 22, 2010
What a terrible thing for someone to do. How long does it take to build a colony up to this size? Are there enough bees left to recover?

For what it is worth: referring to them as your "babies" will only serve to alienate the mainstream audience and mark you as one of those self-absorbed delusional San Franciscans who people with "real problems" love to hate on.
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written by Christina, July 22, 2010
As a volunteer, backyard gardener, and bee lover I was shocked and deeply saddened to hear about the loss of the hive.
My garden is filled with bee friendly borage right now, and i have loved seeing them visit.

What can we do to help? While I can't stand the idea that this cowardly attack would prevent the farm from having bees, I worry about attacks on any future attempts to bring colonies in.
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police report and investigation?
written by Troy K, July 22, 2010
I hope that you were able to file a police report and that the police take this seriously and investigate. I would be willing to contribute to a reward for information fund leading to the arrest of whomever did this sad and pitful act. I bet many others would contribute.
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senseless
written by Brock Keeling, July 22, 2010
This was premeditated cruelness on many levels. I am so sorry for your loss.
This is vandalism, not murder, Low-rated comment [Show]
This is just so wrong on so many levels
written by Kat, July 23, 2010
I cannot even begin to express my sorrow over what has happened. I hope that they catch whoever did this and that any other colonies you have will be safe.
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written by Jason Gohlke, July 23, 2010
This was a really awful and ignorant act.

"Reality Check", have you ever lost a pet? It's sad when a living being dies too soon even if it's not a human being. Multiply that times 100,000 and imagine the sadness and anger a feeling person would have. Imagine the amount of time and energy and love that went into encouraging the growth of something so complex and harmonious and productive. And see what kind of words you use.

Of course it's not literally "murder" by the criminal definition, but that's not what they're talking about at all. It's "murder" in the sense that someone willfully killed 100,000 animals for no apparent reason. (Maybe you'd prefer "slaughter.")

If there is a silver lining, it's that a lot more people are aware of the work done at Hayes Valley Farm. This shouldn't have had to happen for that, though.
Donate money?
written by Jordan, July 23, 2010
Is there some paypal address or something we can donate money to to restore the bees?
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written by TBerk, July 23, 2010
I find this both discouraging, and encouraging as well. In the 1st place I had a very strong, curse filled, viceral reaction to this story. After reading the full article and the posted comments I am encouraged, encouraged that all is not lost, that recovery will begin, and that it's not completly bad news.

Going forward I will continue to encourage honeybee production and pollination in my local area.


Urban Bees?
written by Miles, July 23, 2010
I don’t think it was very nice that someone killed your bees. Think about it for a moment, the method that they used seemed well thought out. You aren’t dealing with some dummy or some violent street thug. While I know you have the best of intentions, maybe you should leave bee keeping out of an urban environment where it will affect more people than you want. Bees seem to fit best in a rural area away from people. Maybe someone in the neighborhood is allergic to bees or some guy got stung one too many times, or some local business is getting bees in their shop. For the safety of your current and future bees raise them in a more logical environment, away from people. Or you can bee suborn and raise another ten thousand bees only to have the guy come back and kill them again, or piss off more people, or worse, lose the farm.
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written by Sven, July 23, 2010
I wrote about this travesty at http://www.dailykos.com/story/...-Bees-R-Us and got some useful responses from beekeepers who've gone through this experience before. Here are a couple of excerpts that might be helpful in avoiding this in the future:

I take it from the chains around the hives that there were already concern about the hives safety. I have moved my hives, and I now keep my hives screened in their own area that is not easily accessible. Out of sight is your best protection. I hope they are able to re-populate the boxes.


I think they should consider screening around the hives decorative lattice or maybe solid. We use Bamboo because it is so evasive people here beg you to come and remove it. Screening causes the bees to use high flight plans into and out of the apiary, so the bees fly high over peoples heads and are not noticed. The best protection I have found it to make the bees less noticeable and completely hidden is best.


There are a few more useful tips if you follow the link to the whole article.

Again, so sorry to hear about this, it's really hard to fathom.
Sickos
written by LK Richardson, July 24, 2010
I am so sad for HVF and just sickened at the loss, especially since honeybee populations are dwindling. One thing that would help: Whenever anyone hears someone refer to yellowjackets as "meat bees," correct them immediately. So many times in California I'd hear people say, "Get away from me, bee!" when it obviously wasn't a bee that was bothering them.
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written by Erica K, July 25, 2010
I am so sorry for your loss. As a beekeeper this makes me terribly sad, people can be so stupid. In the olden day's they used to catapult bee hives to invaders of castles - perhaps a well timed catapult to these a-holes.
Condolences from Itty Bitty Farm in the City
written by Heidi, July 25, 2010
We are so very sorry to hear about this. As fellow urban farmers with unusual city animals (goats), we are deeply concerned about this kind of senseless violence perpetrated by the uninformed. Our thoughts are with you and we look forward to helping you rebuild your colonies.
Condolences from Itty Bitty Farm in the City
written by Heidi, July 25, 2010
We are so very sorry to hear about this. As fellow urban farmers with unusual city animals (goats), we are deeply concerned about this kind of senseless violence perpetrated by the uninformed. Our thoughts are with you. We look forward to helping you rebuild your hives in any way we can.
Very sad
written by The Designary, August 09, 2010
I somehow stumbled on your blog and found myself reading this entire post. Very sad about your bees. Hope you are able to get new hives up and running.
Can you possibly put a camera anywhere near those hives, a webcam or any sort?
written by Mom, August 18, 2010
What goes around comes around, and they will get stung by LIFE.
Tragic!
written by Qredits, April 04, 2011
So sad. Incredibly sorry to hear about your bees.
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written by t, April 05, 2011
wow that's madd. we live in a mad world ..hope reconstruction goes well

best,
livin wind

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