A third cause of honey bee decline is pesticides. Pesticides are known to interfere with bee communication, which is almost entirely reliant on chemical and physical signals. Studies have shown that chemicals found in pesticides alter the foraging behavior, communication and larval development of honey bees.
Helping Our Honey Bees Now that scientists and researchers have pinpointed the underlying causes of the honey bee crisis, we are better equipped
to save them. One helpful measure is planting a bee
garden with flowers rich in pollen and nectar, like sunflowers, comfrey, catmint and spring blossoms. Your garden will offer honey bees a safe habitat where they can build
HIVE 325 Did you know the first urban apiary in Pittsburgh’s Golden Triangle resides right here at the Duquesne Club? HIVE 325, located on the Club’s sixth-floor rooftop, consists of four hives and over 75,000 bees. The apiary—a natural extension to the Club’s rooftop vegetable and herb garden—began in July 2013, and the original two nuclei of bees are from Fine Family Apiary in Monongahela. The honey produced from the apiary is used in our Tastes of the Season recipes, as well as other Club recipes. Members can taste our honey in items on our Honey Tasting Menu, such as Rosemary and Honey-Glazed Tenderloin, Baklava with Honey, Honey Ice Cream Cone with Candied Pecans and much more. The honey also can be packaged up in limited quantities for sale to members. Executive Chef Keith Coughenour and Sous Chef Mike Caudill manage HIVE 325. Together, they work closely with the hives to ensure the bees are happy and healthy.
homes and access nutritious food sources. Furthermore,
consider going chemical-free with your garden instead of using harmful pesticides: organic products and compost help aid soil health.
If you’re not the world’s greatest gardener, don’t worry—there are plenty of other ways you can help. For example, support local beekeepers, organizations and apiaries—Pittsburgh Honey in Squirrel Hill, Fine Family Apiary in Monongahela and Meadow Street Apiaries in Brookline—who work hard to take care of bees and their communities. Consider buying locally made honey and beeswax products such as soaps, lotions and beeswax candles. And, if you have some spare time and the means to do so, you can donate to local and national bee societies and environmental groups to help amplify their messages. Honey bees have always played their role to perfection in helping create a healthy and thriving ecosystem. Let’s return the favor by helping them through these tough times so they can continue to fortify the world we call home.
Duquesne Club | 7
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker