The bee hives of Bridge Street

Posted 8/21/12

NARROWSBURG, NY — While there are many local farms keeping bees, Juliette Bergogne and Anie Stanley decided to bring the bees to their business—on the rooftop of Maison Bergogne on Bridge Street …

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The bee hives of Bridge Street

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NARROWSBURG, NY — While there are many local farms keeping bees, Juliette Bergogne and Anie Stanley decided to bring the bees to their business—on the rooftop of Maison Bergogne on Bridge Street in Narrowsburg. Above their bustling store filled with antique goods sit three bee hives, a technique used in urban farming. They will have six hives this coming season.

The hives are Italian honey bees and are kept in a Langstroth system of boxes, built by local beekeeper Todd Klikus. Bergogne and Stanley’s beekeeper is Charles Wilkin, a graphic artist and second-home owner in the area, who has hives on his property. Bergogne and Stanley are learning about keeping bees from Wilkin, and are now in their second season. Wilkin said he got into beekeeping because he “wanted to do something dangerous, and no one wanted to go sky diving with me.” He started seven years ago, and he said in fact it’s not dangerous, and it is a “meditative and relaxing hobby” that is “never boring.”

Bergogne says the location of the rooftop bees is ideal for a healthy hive, and indeed their hive has thrived. The conditions include morning sun, good choices of pollinator plants nearby (Japanese knotweed, despite the many downsides of its being invasive, is apparently a particularly good source of pollen), being next to water, and the availability of clover in the springtime and goldenrod in the fall. Bergogne said it is important to keep the “wild” aspect. Another advantage of rooftop bee hives is that they are out of harm’s way from bears and other wildlife.

So far they have harvested 150 to 200 pounds of honey and last year had three distinct harvests. Bergogne and Stanley will begin to sell it in their store. The color of the honey is directly linked to what the bees eat. Bergogne said when they harvested last year in July, the honey was pure gold in color, and in September it was black.

Bergogne says they do a weekly inspection of the bees so they can keep an eye on them and determine if there are any problems, such as bugs. Fortunately, their hives survived the winter, which has become increasingly difficult for bees to do. Although, problems did arise, and they had to re-queen several times.

Honey Bee Festival

The Main Street Merchants are now planning the first Honey Bee Festival to be held on Saturday, October 10. It is an all-day event held at various locations in Narrowsburg to celebrate bees and their honey. There will be environmental education vendors, bee-related products, speakers, a bee parade, pollinator plant workshop, honey contest and more. Maison Bergogne will project a live feed of their hives and also serve honey-infused drinks. The festival will educate people on how to nurture honey bees, as they are becoming an endangered species. It also supports local farms and creates a sustainable economy.

Community garden

Bergogne, Stanley and others have plans to make the Tusten Heritage Community Garden (THCG) into a pollinator-friendly garden, and are on their way to being certified. Tannis Kowalchuk of Willow Wisp Farm has seedlings that she will soon plant. Bergogne and Stanley will hold an open invitation on Saturday, May 9 at 10 a.m. in the garden for people to come see it and join. To contact them, email tustenhcg@gmail.com; phone is 845/252-3722 to reach THCG’s chair Stanley. The garden is located on De Mauro Road behind the Tusten-Cochecton Library. A four-by-eight-foot plot can be rented for a season for $100, two for $150, and a four-by-four plot for $50; watering and maintenance are offered for a fee. The garden has a deer fence, as well as an irrigation system with rainwater collected from the library roof. The Narrowsburg Beautification Group is collaborating with the community garden to implement a walkway and sign. It is also to be a part of the town’s Master Plan, which encourages town walkability.

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