Written by Jay Rosenberg | 22 March 2011

Please come to the General Meeting of the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association this Thursday night at 7:00pm to learn about the Return of the Bees to Hayes Valley Farm. Karen Peteros, Head Beekeeper will be joining us to discuss where the hives will be located, what kind of bees will be kept, and where you can get more information.

Join us in welcoming back the bees this Thursday night!

When: Thursday, March 24th, 7-8:30pm
What: H.V.N.A. General Meeting
Where: Korean American Community Center, 745 Buchanan Street (at Grove) Map

In addition to the Return of the Bees, the night will feature a meet and greet with new Supervisors Jane Kim (D-6) and Scott Wiener (D-8) and current Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi (D-5), as well as updates from the various committees such as Transportation & Planning, Communications, and Art Culture & Environment.  The meeting starts at 7:00 pm at the Korean American Center at 745 Buchanan.

Beekeeping Classes at Hayes Valley Farm this weekend

The Urban Beekeeper’s Primer. The A’s, Bees and C’s of Urban Beekeeping
Everything you want to consider before starting to keep honey bees in an urban environment.
When: Saturday, March 26, 10am-1pm. Cost: $25. Register now.

Langstroth Hive Equipment Assembly
Being able to assemble equipment can help save the beekeeper lots of money and impart a greater appreciation of “bee space”. Students will assemble boxes and frames of various sizes, and will learn options for and install various types of “foundation” into the frames.
When: Sunday, March 27, 12-2pm. Cost: $25. Register now.

Photo by Zoey Kroll, May 27, 2010

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Hayes Valley Farm is excited to continue it's partnership with San Francisco Bee-Cause, bringing hands-on beekeeping classes to Hayes Valley Farm. If you would like to volunteer with San Francisco Bee-Cause and learn more about native bees, honey bees, and urban beekeeping, contact us via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Written by Karen Peteros, Co-Founder of San Francisco Bee-Cause | 14 March 2011

HONEY BEEKEEPING ESSENTIALS, THE SERIES

Since information about Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) hit the media in early 2007, there has been a growing interest in honey bees – how critical they are to our food supply, how they are used and abused as an integral part of our industrial food system, and what we can all do to help ensure healthy populations of honey and native bees. As a result, beekeeping by individuals is on the rise, particularly in urban environments. Historically, San Francisco stands out as a progressive leader among major US cities in its legal and public policy attitudes about beekeeping: it is not inherently dangerous, it should be legal and is appropriately regulated by the law of nuisance.

On March 20, Hayes Valley Farm, in partnership with non-profit San Francisco Bee-Cause, is launching a comprehensive series of classes designed to provide aspiring and new beekeepers with the knowledge and hands-on experience necessary for responsible and successful honey beekeeping in the urban environment. Instructors will provide a personal, in-depth approach designed to get students the confidence to properly manage a honey bee colony through all lifecycle events, and to use “natural” methods of beekeeping aimed at colony health.

Upcoming classes include:

Understanding the Honey Bee Colony
Knowing basic honey bee and colony biology is essential for the beekeeper to work with, rather than against, the bees’ natural inclinations as they change throughout the seasons.
When: Sunday, March 20, 10am-1pm. Cost: $30. Register now.

The Urban Beekeeper’s Primer. The A’s, Bees and C’s of Urban Beekeeping
Everything you want to consider before starting to keep honey bees in an urban environment.
When: Saturday, March 26, 10am-1pm. Cost: $25. Register now.

Langstroth Hive Equipment Assembly
Being able to assemble equipment can help save the beekeeper lots of money and impart a greater appreciation of “bee space”. Students will assemble boxes and frames of various sizes, and will learn options for and install various types of “foundation” into the frames.
When: Sunday, March 27, 12-2pm. Cost: $25. Register now.

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Written by Lindsey Goldberg | 02 March 2011

"I was born for this!"

- Jacob, 1st Grade French American International School, as we neared the gate on our way out of the farm after a dynamic, after-school session this evening.

Each week since the new year I have gathered up a group of budding urban farmers from one of our neighborhood schools and we trot over the farm in a clump, recounting stories of the weekend, visionary ideas for the farm and sharing timeless jokes.

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Written by [email protected] | 28 February 2011

Notes from the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association General Meeting.

Volunteers Needed!

Neil Hrushowy of the SF Planning Department came to ask for volunteers for the “Public Life, Public Space” study of Market Street.

Get involved in the Better Market Street Project,

The department needs volunteers on March 10th and 12th. Contact Neil at 558-6474 to volunteer.

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Written by Jay Rosenberg | 27 February 2011

American Robin

Turdis migratorius

ORDER: PASSERIFORMES   |   FAMILY: TURDIDAE

The American Robin has been sighted at Hayes Valley Farm for the first time since we started to pay attention! It's a great bird to learn about birds and bird language.

SIGN UP FOR Patterns in Nature, Mondays at 10:30am.  

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