Urban Beekeeping

Learn the ins and outs of urban beekeeping from professionals with the Twin Cities Metro Growers Network!

Beekeeper Kristy Allen (Beez Kneez) will give us a tour of her two working hives at The Bakken. We’ll get up close to learn about hive care and honey production in an urban context. Katie Lee (UMN Extension; SARE) will teach us about honey bee biology and the valuable role these pollinators can play as an integrated part of your farm or garden.

Registration

Advance registration is required. This event is free to attend and limited to 30 participants. Ages 15 and up only, please.

Additional details: Water and light refreshments will be provided. Parking is available in The Bakken’s lot and on the street.

Warning about working with honey bees

Bee veils and bee jackets will be provided for participants to wear during workshops. Participants are required to wear face protection (bee veil or jacket), long pants, light-colored socks, and closed-toe shoes in the apiary. We cannot guarantee that participants will not be stung during our workshops. If you experience adverse reactions to bee stings, please consult with your doctor before attending a workshop. Please do not attend if you are allergic to honey bees.

About the speakers

Kristy Allen Established in 2010, The Beez Kneez was built from the ground up in Minneapolis, MN. Owner Kristy Lynn Allen started from humble beginnings delivering her aunt and uncle’s honey on bicycle. As she gained skills and knowledge in beekeeping and grew her hive numbers, she established her own independent supply of honey. At the same time, her and her team managed over a hundred colonies, sold honey to several retail locations, online and at farmers markets, and built a pedal-powered,community honey house – centered around the bicycle-powered honey extractor she invented, the Beez Kneez Honeycycle.

Jenny Warner has been a valued member of the UMN Bee Lab since 1997 and is a founding member of the UMN Bee Squad. Among her many beekeeping and teaching duties, Jenny leads a program that teaches beekeeping to incarcerated persons in two MN correctional facilities. She graduated with a B.S. in Horticultural Food Production and a minor in Soil Science from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

*Due to unforeseen circumstances, Katie Lee will be unable to join us as a presenter.

The Twin Cities Metro Growers Network is a collaboration between the Sustainable Farming Association and University of Minnesota Extension.

This event is funded through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture AGRI Urban Agriculture grant.