The I N
F O C U S
FREE
F O R
P E O P L E
O V E R
More than 200,000 readers throughout Greater Washington
VOL.33, NO.6
The secret life of beekeepers
JUNE 2021
I N S I D E …
PHOTO BY GLENDA C. BOOTH
By Glenda C. Booth Few people venture up to the roof of Washington’s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, but John Ferree, 59, does. He has managed four beehives there since 2017. Ferree also has nine hives at Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens, five at the Bush Hill Presbyterian Church and six in his Springfield back yard. To pay the bills, Ferree analyzes car dealership financials for NCM Associates, but he tends to 60,000 honeybees in the spring, summer and fall. “I love it,” he said. “When I open a hive, I’m amazed at the wonderment of it all.” Looking inside a beehive with an expert apiarist like Ferree does provoke wonder. Covered with protective gear, he pulls out and studies a series of wood frames covered with brownish, squirming honeybees, some with tiny, yellow pollen puffs on their legs. Ferree points out miniscule white bee eggs, the shape of a rice grain but onetenth the size. He can distinguish between ripe and unripe honey. He looks for larvae and evidence of a queen, who is larger and has a smoother back. The queen, he explains, ventures out of the hive for mating flights, returns, lays eggs and spends the rest of her life there, unless the hive becomes too crowded and the bees swarm to form another hive. He’s seen queens fight until only one is left, and the “winner” becomes the “reigning queen.” Beekeeping has become a popular hobby for hundreds of people in our area, including older adults like Ferree. They do it for fun and to support pollinators, who in turn support life on Earth. After all, pollinators are responsible for the reproduction of over 85% of the world’s flowering plants, including more than two-thirds of the world’s crops.
L E I S U R E & T R AV E L
Urban cowboys meet culture in the Canadian West; plus, ditch the hotel and stay in a treehouse, Conestoga wagon or houseboat page 34
Beekeeper John Ferree tends to beehives at Mount Vernon, on the Kennedy Center’s roof, at a local church and in his own yard. Many local apiarists like Ferree pursue their hobby for environmental reasons — to support pollinators in the region.
Supporting pollinators as a family tradition Honeybees were brought to America around 1620 to make honey. Today, though, the primary purpose of keeping honeybees is to support plant pollination, according to Virginia’s state apiarist, Keith Tignor. Bees will fly up to three miles for a pollen source. They carry pollen grains from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma. When pollen is transferred between flowers of the same species, plants produce seeds.
Ferree’s Mount Vernon honeybees provide free pollinator services for the estate’s gardens and orchards — crops like squash, apples and alfalfa. When he tends to bees, Ferree is carrying on a family tradition: His father and grandfather were beekeepers. He is also president of the Northern Virginia Beekeepers Association, which hosts beekeeping classes. Most of its 430 members are hobbyist beekeepers. See BEEKEEPERS, page 36
Ashby Ponds, Greenspring, and Riderwood—premier senior living communities. Here, you’re free to live the independent life you want with an added safety net of support.
14576796
5 0
Call 1-877-575-0231 or visit DMVSeniorLiving.com for your free brochure.
ARTS & STYLE
A rogue volunteer group called Guerilla Gardeners transforms empty lots and pocket parks into greenspace; plus, stories from afar, and Bob Levey on dressing for success page 39 TECHNOLOGY k Where to find tech classes
4
FITNESS & HEALTH k Best cures for loneliness k Act now on hearing loss
6
LIVING BOLDLY k Newsletter for D.C. seniors
26
LAW & MONEY 28 k How to get the best customer service k Key birthdays that affect finances ADVERTISER DIRECTORY
47
PLUS CROSSWORD, BEACON BITS, CLASSIFIEDS & MORE
