Six years ago, honeybees began to vanish. If you’re predisposed to a squeal and an awkward dance in public every time an airborne stinger comes your way, you may not be too bummed about this. Good – you might think – less likely to embarrass myself at this year’s company picnic. Truthfully, you should be concerned (and yes, a little embarrassed).
Bees on the roof at The Porch - photo courtesy Mark Broadhurst of Eat ‘n Park Hospitality Group
The disappearance of bees could radically change the food we eat and how much we pay for it. According to Stephen Repasky, Vice President and Apiary Director for the local bee-loving non-profit, Burgh Bees, honeybees are responsible for pollinating over one third of the food we eat citing apples, pumpkins, berries and cucumbers as examples. There are many foods like almonds, which will not grow at all without pollination from honeybees. The Agriculture Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture (ARS) estimates that “Bee pollination is responsible for more than $15 billion in increased crop value each year.” Not to mention how vital they are to the flowers we all love in our parks and gardens.
Recently, we’ve been losing about 30% of the honeybee population annually. While this phenomenon has a name – Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) – the cause is still up for debate. According to the ARS, “The main symptom of CCD is very low or no adult honeybees present in the hive, but with a live queen and no dead honeybee bodies present. Often there is still honey in the hive, and immature bees are present.” It is widely believed in the apiary community that the cause for CCD is the emergence of a new type of pesticides called neonicotinoids which were developed in the mid-1990s. There have been studies to support this hypothesis, but they have not been deemed conclusive by the ARS. Other theories have included mites, fungal and viral infections, and even cell phone tower transmissions.
While the use of pesticides in an urban setting is still problematic, Repasky says that people actually pose the greatest threat to city honeybees. “We as a society are too quick to take a can of raid to that nest of ‘bees’,” he says. “The more we can get people to understand that honeybees are a necessity, even in the city, the better off we will be.” He points out that honeybees are actually quite docile, and that since they’ll die if they sting you, they reserve their aggression to protect their hive. They’re also unlikely to care about your picnic lunch or the sugary cocktail you drink on your back deck. “Honeybees are not the wasps and hornets that people usually associate with being stung,” laments Repasky. “Unfortunately society lumps any stinging insect into a ‘bee’ and that is not the case.”
Echinacea, also called Purple Coneflower is a favorite for honeybees, pictured here in Schenley Plaza.
Burgh Bees is trying to change that in Pittsburgh. In 2008 they established to create a community for urban beekeepers and to provide places for them to have hives if they don’t have a place of their own. They created and manage the nation’s first community apiary in Homewood where people participate much in the same way they would at a community garden. They teach beekeeping classes and try to educate Pittsburgh residents on the necessity of honeybees. Recently, they partnered with The Porch at Schenley restaurant in Schenley Plaza where they manage a hive on the roof that may be producing 40-60 lbs of honey annually by next year.
At the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, we appreciate the importance of the ecological health of our parks, a system in which honeybees play a vital role. To do your part, the ARS advises not to use pesticides indiscriminately and to avoid applying such chemicals at mid-day when the bees are out in the greatest numbers whenever possible. They also suggest planting native plants that are good sources of nectar and pollen such as red clover, foxglove, echinacea and joe-pye weed.
Kathleen Gaines is a Development Associate at the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. To learn more about the bees at The Porch, check out the upcoming issue of our newsletter.
How do the parks improve public health?
Just a heads-up that you can now read our Fall 2010 edition of “The Voice” online! 
As the number of landscaped sections of the parks has increased, the Parks Conservancy is pleased to welcome a Gardener to its staff in Angela Masters. Angela is responsible for general maintenance of the gardens, including weeding, deadheading, transplanting, fertilizing, and insect control. She focuses on the landscaped areas of the park like the newly restored Mellon Park Walled Garden, the Highland Park Entry Garden, Schenley Plaza, the Schenley Park Café and Visitor Center, and the Riverview Park Chapel Shelter.
The addition of a gardener attests to the Parks Conservancy’s commitment to preserving the parks and the long-term maintenance of capital projects, like the Walled Garden and the Highland Park Entry Garden. Angela said, “Time and effort go into the installation of a new garden, and many people are excited about it opening, but not everyone realizes the level of maintenance that projects require. I am passionate about taking care of our gardens and keeping them as close to the original intent as possible.” 
This spring, 20 students from City High’s 10th grade class cared for a section of parkland by Panther Hollow Lake in Schenley Park. The students performed the same tasks as other Urban EcoStewards, such as removing invasive plants, planting native plants, and controlling erosion. Students paired their monthly site visits with science-journaling, which builds observation and recording skills. The program fulfills City High’s 10th grade service learning requirement, and the students are able to spend three hours a month on a Friday afternoon in the park.
In case you have no clue what I’m talking about, this is jewelweed. The green coils behind the flowers aren’t always easy to see, but if you lightly squeeze them in your hands, they make a very satisfying pop. It is addicting! 
I recently had the chance to spend a bit of time with park docent Sam Webb. Sam leads Mellon Square’s lunchtime tours and a few of the Walks in the Woods sessions in Schenley Park that focus on trees. History isn’t my focus at the Parks Conservancy, but it is something that I’ve always loved. 
We took a moment and walked across the street to observe the Square from the front of Saks Fifth Avenue. It was really remarkable to study the Square from the outside – seeing trees stretching up out of concrete and seeing people buzz past and through the park. 
About five minutes from the Frick Environmental Center is the Lincoln family’s “land” that they have stewarded since 2006. The family of six has put an impressive amount of hours into their EcoSteward site, removing multiflora rose, honeysuckle, garlic mustard and vines and allowing native species to grow and flourish. Two mulberry trees that were previously choked by vines have begun to thrive. 
Annie Weidman has been an Urban EcoSteward since the very beginning of the program. When she started on her site near Highland Park’s Babbling Brook, 99% of the landscape was covered in garlic mustard. 
Moses Carper has been volunteering in Riverview Park since 2001, originally as a docent and now as an Urban EcoSteward. Moses works in the park year-round educating visiting groups and maintaining Riverview’s beautiful garden beds. 
Located just below the Bartlett Playground, the Bartlett Meadow in Schenley Park is a warm season grass and wildflower meadow. Serving as a buffer to the nearby woods, the meadow creates a welcoming, healthy habitat for native wildlife, birds, and insects. Mary Alice Drusbasky has stewarded this site since 2003, watching natives thrive as invasive plants are painstakingly removed. According to Mary Alice, working on the site is great exercise.
With more than 1,700 acres of park land under our care, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy relies heavily on volunteers to assist with everything from planting trees to educating other park users. Two of our most dedicated volunteers are Michelle and Dave Panasiuk, who not only serve as Urban EcoStewards in Panther Hollow, but lead the popular Schenley Park Walks in the Woods. We asked them to share their thoughts on stewardship, hiking, and why Mary Schenley would be today’s tabloid cover girl.
Why did you choose Schenley Park as the focus of your volunteer work?
For the past three years, Jeremy Feinstein has been involved with the Parks Conservancy and serving as a member of the Board of Directors for the past two. Mr. Feinstein is a partner at 
