There is a growing interest in beekeeping that may mean even city dwellers could see some hives in their neighbors’ backyards.
Jonathan Daniels, a beekeeper from Gardners and member of the Capital Area Beekeepers’ Association out of Harrisburg, made a presentation to a group of about 20 gardeners and bee hobbyists who braved the Saturday morning rain at a Penn State Master Gardeners event at its Trial & Ideas Gardens in front of Claremont Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Middlesex Township. The crowd was there to hear Daniels’ thoughts on beekeeping and how to start getting involved.
Daniels calls himself a “compulsive amateur” — a hobbyist who produces honey and raises queens for colonies, but does not run a commercial business. The “compulsive” portion of that self-title comes from the fact that he has about 40 hives located in Gardners and across Cumberland County, including Carlisle and Mount Holly Springs.