SPL LIFE
14 StPeteLifeMag.com May/June 2020
PHOTO/ALLISON LYNN PHOTOGRAPHY AND NOBLE NECTAR APIARIES
While the world quarantines at home, the rooftop of the St.
Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts never stops buzzing. Nondescript
white hive boxes attract over 100,000 honeybees frantically going
about their daily deeds of gathering nectar from urban gardens and
parks around downtown St. Pete. Upon returning, they deposit the
sweet liquid and cap each cell with wax. Some bees attend to the
queen bee, others guard the larvae or perform cleanup duties. It’s
the never-ending cycle of the secret life of bees.
Installing honeybee hives on the museum rooftop seemed like a
natural thing to do, says Julie Wilson, the director of marketing and
communications. She credits executive director Kristen Shepherd
with bringing the idea with her from Los Angeles when she took
over her post three and a half years ago. “It was a goal that she had
here, and Pinellas County is known to have more urban beekeepers
than anywhere else in the country, so it just seemed like the right
thing to do,” said Wilson.
While visitors won’t be able to get up close with the hives, a few
hives can be viewed from the catwalk inside the museum. “Our
intention is really to help the community around downtown in terms
of pollination - we are surrounded by parks and yard gardens - and
we wanted to help people understand that they should not be afraid
Un-BEE-lievable
BY MARCIA BIGGS
/StPeteLifeMag.com