By Leslie Albrecht
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
UPPER WEST SIDE — The end of a city ban on urban beekeeping last year has started honey flowing in Manhattan again — and locals can learn how to keep their own bees at an event at the American Museum of Natural History Wednesday.
The 6:30 p.m. lecture, called "Urban Beekeeping: Get The Buzz," features local beekeepers and entomologist Gene Kristky, author of "The Quest for the Perfect Hive: A History of Innovation in Bee Culture."
Tickets to the $25 lecture can be purchased on the museum's website.
Four local beekeepers will describe the challenges and rewards of keeping a hive in the city. The lecture will also touch on the history of beekeeping, the chemical make-up of honey and the effects of bees on the environment, and how different cultures have hived bees.
Scientists at the American Museum of Natural History are working on a massive effort to document bee species, said Bella Desai, associate director of public programs. The museum has collected more than 475,000 bee specimens, including 230 wild bee species in New York City alone, Desai said.
The museum will have a hive on hand so attendees can get a closer look at busy bees in action. There will also be a chance to sample local honey from hives in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens, and compare them with honeys produced outside the New York area.
Since the city lifted a ban on urban beekeeping last year, more people are taking up the honey-making hobby. One Upper West Sider keeps bees behind a brownstone near the American Museum of Natural History at Columbus Avenue and West 77th Street.
The beekeeping lecture is part of the museum's Adventures in the Global Kitchen educational series, a monthly event where participants learn about topics such as mushroom hunting, astronaut food, and the anti-aging benefits of red wine.
