SAN FRANCISCO BEE-CAUSE

Helping people help bees

The Buzz

Latest News

Our Honey

We have various honeys for sale in glass jars: 0.5-lb for $10, or 1-lb for $15. Sales of our honey is predominately on-line through this website. Go to our "Buy Honey" page. Sales of our honey comprise 99% of our operating income.

Our Apiary & Pollinator Garden

Historically, our apiary was located at Alemany Farm (2009-2011), Hayes Valley Farm (2010-2012), the Palou-Dunshee Garden (2010-2012) and empty consecutive lots on San Bruno Ave (2012-2017).

Before consolidating our hives in the above apiaries, we also managed 1-3 colonies in community gardens, backyards and roofs throughout various San Francisco neighborhoods.

In January 2018, The Bee Farm honey bees moved to their new home within the grounds of the June Jordan School for Equity (JJSE), adjacent to the school garden operated by our Urban Sprouts friends.

Periodically on Saturdays, we have Volunteer Work Parties at our site. Volunteer activities are focused on our Pollinator Garden adjacent to the apiary. Although volunteer activities are primarily horticultural, you get to see our bee hives, and our honey bees flying to and from them. You also get to observe and learn about the various native bee species that visit the Garden. We provide garden gloves and hand tools. Watch our Facebook page for announcement of our Volunteer Work Parties.

Stay updated!

We have an active Facebook page and community "Like" and follow us and see what all the buzz is about!

We include posts on interesting facts and new information related to bees and other pollinators. We also announce the application window for our upcoming Beekeeping Apprenticeship Program, and upcoming events of interest including our Volunteer Work Parties!

Who We Are

Here at San Francisco Bee-Cause, we are driven by a single goal -- to do our part in making San Francisco a healthy place for native and honey bees. Our decision making process is informed by comprehensive empirical studies and high quality data evaluation. We strive to build production relationships and make a positive impact in all of our activities, projects and programs.

The Buzz About Us

Turning Interest Into Action

For millennia, people have had a relationship with honey bees. Sometimes, both bees and people. But most times, people have benefited at the expense of the bees. San Francisco Bee-Cause believes honey and native bees and people can have a sustainable, mutually beneficial relationship.
We also believe that an urban environment, such as San Francisco's, provides ideal opportunities for people and bees to benefit one another. San Francisco has a mild Mediterranean climate with abundant trees, shrubs and plants that flower throughout 10 months of the year. This flora provides steady, yet varied, pollens and nectars needed by native and honey bees to survive and to be healthy. Good nutrition helps bees maintain good health. San Francisco has a growing number of individuals, groups and communities that are committed to urban agriculture, biodiversity and maintaining healthy natural areas. Bee pollinators are needed for the success of each.
San Francisco public policy supports a toxic-free and otherwise healthy environment. That's good for people but also good for bees.

Our Projects

Collaborative & Innovative

Our "cause" is to help San Francisco's native and honey bees have a healthy environment needed to sustain them so, in turn, they can help with urban biodiversity and the success of urban agriculture. In so doing, we aim to be financially self-sufficient. Products from our honey beekeeping enable us to undertake projects, and to lend support to other groups and projects, that help our urban native and honey bees thrive.

Specifically, we aim:

To educate San Francisco communities about the value of native and honey bees and, thus, the value of maintaining an urban landscape that integrates and accommodates healthy and sustainable natural ecosystems
To contribute to biodiversity and a productive system of urban agriculture within San Francisco by providing residents with information necessary for them to take actions necessary to ensure we have robust populations of
To contribute to the health and survivability of native and honey bees within San Francisco through projects that improve pollen and nectar resources needed to sustain healthy populations of native and honey bees
To train sustainable and ethical beekeeping for honey bee health through our 2-Year Beekeeping Apprenticeship Program. Our training relies on the latest science-based information and over 15 years of San Francisco beekeeping.

The Bee Farm

Making a Difference

We have an apiary in San Francisco that is located within the school grounds of the June Jordan School for Equity, adjacent to the school garden operated by Urban Sprouts. Next to our apiary is a large Pollinator Garden that is in continual development as we learn which flowering plants and shrubs grow well in our location that are most favored by native bees and our honey bees. We've had beehives and educational pollinator gardens since 2012 in various locations in San Francisco.

Stay tuned to our Facebook page for reminders and other opportunities to get involved.

Beekeeping Apprenticeship

Doing What’s Needed

Through our 2-Year Beekeeping Apprenticeship Program, we have the potential to make a real and positive change in the beekeeping community. This is one of our key areas of focus, and a source of much success for our not-for-profit organization.

Check out our Apprenticeship page to learn more about our Program and consider applying. Applications are accepted during a specific time window each January/February, for the next 2-year Program that begins each March.

Native Bee Surveys

Contributing to Science

During each year, 2015 - 2017, we conducted seasonal surveys (spring, summer and fall) of the native bees that lived at and/or visited our former Bee Farm site on San Bruno Avenue and at Alemany Farm.

The goal of this project was to understand the different native bee species that could be found in San Francisco's urban agriculture, community and residential garden environments, their flower preference and nesting needs, and to share that information with the public so they can "help our bees" through planned plantings and creation of bee nesting habitat.

We plan to eventually share this information on our website. We also plan to resume surveys at our Pollinator Garden located within the grounds of the June Jordan School for Equity.

Elizabeth Lawrence

"The hum of bees is the voice of the garden."