Mad Urban Bees LLC

Today Mad Urban Bees and my beekeeping class got the first two-minute segment on the local news!

I was interviewed by WISC Channel 3 on 6/2/13 about my beekeeping fundamental class and about urban beekeeping. It was great to see me and my class on the local news.

You can order tickets for the beekeeping fundamentals class at our store.

I was fortunate to have a writer for the Isthmus take my beekeeping class. He wrote a great article that appeared on their online food news this week.
Read it here.

If you are interested in taking one of my beekeeping classes, you can purchase a class for $45 at the online store.

I am going to cancel the Tuesday 5/21 beekeeping class. There is just too high of a chance for rain.

Please contact bkschool@roundrockhoney.com to reschedule.

Thank you,
Nathan

Want to learn about bees from Mad Urban Bees?

I will be teaching beekeeping classes this summer and fall through Round Rock Honey Beekeeping School. Round Rock Honey offers beekeeping classes for those wanting to learn more about bees and beekeeping. No beekeeping knowledge or experience is needed to sign up.

I will cover a basic introduction to bees, beekeeping and hives, how-to information for keeping bees in Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter and disease and parasite management. Each class allows students the opportunity to suit up (bee suits provided), and gain hands-on experience at our onsite apiary.

Sign up!

Taste how Urban Honey changes throughout the year with the Urban Honey CSA. Different flowers and locations around the city give each batch of Urban Honey a unique flavor. By supporting Mad Urban Bees LLC with a CSA membership, you will be helping Mad Urban Bees throughout the year.

The Urban Honey CSA is closed for 2013.

Mad Urban Bees Urban Honey comes from the flowers, trees, parks, and gardens of Madison and Middleton. All hives are hosted by local residents. This is a truly artisinal honey.

Choose from 3 CSA sizes:
6 - 5oz Jars - $30.00
12 - 5oz Jars - $60.00
12 - 10oz Jars - $100.00

Each jar of Urban Honey will be from a different hive and location during the 2013 season.

The Urban Honey CSA will be available for you to pick up at four local businesses:
House of Brews - 4539 Helgesen Dr., Madison, WI 53718
Mother Fools - 1101 Williamson St Madison, WI 53703
Vom Fass - 3248 University Ave, Madison, WI 53705
Bloom Bake Shop - 1834 Parmenter St Middleton, WI 53562

You can also ship the whole CSA to anywhere in the country on September 6th, 2013, by choosing the shipping option.

CSA Pickups 6 times a year
Pickups will be every other Thursday from June 25th to September 6th. Times may vary due to weather. The pick up times will be the normal operational hours of the pickup location. Check their websites for times.

If you do not get up your honey on the day of the pickup, it will be available the next pickup date. Any honey remaining after September 6, 2103, can be picked up from Mad Urban Bees LLC, or shipped for a fee.

Experts say that this year the honeybee die-off has been as high as 50 percent nationally. Some beekeepers were not even that lucky: they lost 75 percent or even all of their bees. This comes now year after year of heavy losses for beekeepers. Colony collapse has devastated honeybee populations since it first appeared in 2006.

California produces 80% of the worlds almonds. They need to bring in over 1 million bee hives every year to help pollinate the trees in late February. And this year there may not be enough bees to do the job.

"We have smaller populations in the hives and higher winter losses," said Eric Mussen, a bee specialist at the entomology department of University of California, Davis. "Bees across the country are not in as good a shape as last year. When you stress them far enough, the bees just give in."

I have not checked on all of my hives yet, but I suspect that I am in to 50% loss range. This is why urban beekeeping is important. We need to create local strains of bees that are adapted to our climate and naturally resistant these diseases and parasites that are currently plaguing them.

Sources:
http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/02/16/2685833/fewer-bees-in-us-a-threat-to-worlds.html
http://enewspf.com/latest-news/science/science-a-environmental/40334-vanishing-honey-bee-colonies-may-impact-california-s-almond-production.html

It is not too late to get a taste of Urban Honey!
Urban Honey is great in tea and other warm drinks to help shake that winter chill. All gift packs are now 20% off and T-Shirts are now $20.

I've also updated the shipping quotes, so shipping per item is now less expensive.

Have a great NEW YEAR!

Wisconsin is covered in a blizzard. It's time to make homemade marshmallow with honey. They are fabulous and melt like heaven in hot chocolate.

Honey-Vanilla Marshmallow Recipe

Ingredients: 1 cup honey, 1 cup sugar, pinch salt, 2/3 cups water, 3 packages of gelatin, 2 tsp vanilla
Equipment you will need: Standup mixer with whisk attachment, thick bottomed pot, candy thermometer, 9x9 square pan.

Take 1/3 up cold water and put in mixer bowl with 3 packages of gelatin
In thick bottomed pot, mix 1/3 cup water with honey, sugar, and pinch of salt
Boil sugar and honey until it just reaches soft ball, 240 degrees F.

Pour hot syrup over gelatin in mixing bowl and start up standup mixer on medium for 2 minutes.
When it gets frothy add 2 tsp vanilla, turn mixer on high for 8 minutes.

Grease pan and dust heavily with powdered sugar. With a wet rubber scraper marshmallow fluff into the pan. Wet your hands and press the fluff into the corners of the pan. Dust the top with powdered sugar. Cool for a few hours.

Remove marshmallow block onto a cutting board dusted with powdered sugar, cut with a knife into cubes, and toss with powdered sugar.

This will make 48-144 marshmallows depending on small you make them. They melt magically into foam in hot chocolate.

You can change the flavor by adding different flavorings and tossing them in a mixture of spices and sugar. Cinnamon, Almond extract, peppermint, cardamon, nutmeg, and coco powder are just the start.

Mad Urban Bees LLC is having a Cyber Monday Sale. Enter HOL2012 at checkout and get $5.00 off shipping. Order on Monday 11/26 and get a free 2 sample pack!

Urban Honey is a great local, sustainable gift this holiday season. Not only is it tasty, but it comes in jars and packs that make great gifts. This offer will end 12/20/12.