{"id":15389,"date":"2016-05-27T10:27:38","date_gmt":"2016-05-27T14:27:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/huntsville.dopperonline.ca\/?p=15389"},"modified":"2016-05-27T12:55:04","modified_gmt":"2016-05-27T16:55:04","slug":"the-town-of-huntsville-has-some-sweet-new-tenants-bees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/huntsville\/the-town-of-huntsville-has-some-sweet-new-tenants-bees\/","title":{"rendered":"The Town of Huntsville has some sweet new tenants: bees"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Town Hall was abuzz with activity this morning when beekeeper Craig Nakamoto introduced two colonies of bees to their new home: the rooftop of the Algonquin Theatre.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s part of a project that Nakamoto proposed to Council last year to promote education about honey bees and pollinators, and how important they are for agriculture.<\/p>\n

First, Nakamoto installed man-made hives on the roof \u2013 they each look like a wooden box and within the box will hang ten frames where the bees will build their combs. Then, he brought the colonies to the hives.<\/p>\n

In Canada, he explained, a colony of bees arrives ready to go, already established in four frames transported in a plastic box. \u201cThey already have bees and combs and honey and eggs. There\u2019s a queen and worker bees. As soon as you put the frames in the hive, the bees are working.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those four frames are put into the hive with six empty ones which the bees will then start building out.<\/p>\n

Four frames doesn\u2019t sound like much, but they hold three pounds of bees. That\u2019s approximately 10,000 of them, and the colony will grow to between 50,000 to 60,000 at its peak in the summer.<\/p>\n\n\t\t