Fred Mulford from Troop 1094 Seneca took up beekeeping as a hobby 2 years ago, and joined the Montgomery County Beekeepers Association (MCBA). Last year, he was searching for Eagle project ideas, trying to find the perfect one, and brainstormed how he might combine his Eagle project with his existing interests/hobbies. Fred reached out to the president of MCBA, asking if any non-profits were looking for beekeeping equipment, and they connected him with ECO City Farms (www.ecoffshoots.org).
ECO City Farms is a nonprofit urban teaching and learning farm in Prince George’s County. They farm on several vacant lots, and run programs teaching people how to sustainably grow food, and how to generally eat healthier. Food grown on their farms gets sold (at a discount) into the local communities, who often have limited options for affordable fresh food. Having bees onsite at ECO City Farm locations will increase crop yield, provide another opportunity to teach people, and allow them to harvest honey in the future.
Fred lined up support and arranged to buy unassembled beehive components, then planned the construction efforts. He led a group of 8 scouts and adults, and at the end of the day his crew had completed 3 large beehives (4 boxes each).
Fred plans to keep his eyes open watching for “swarms” in his 2 home hives and elsewhere (when bees split their colonies and look for new homes), and hopes to provide bees to the farm as well. He has plans to deliver the hives to the farm and assist in setup before the spring season gets fully underway.
A unique and very interesting project from Seneca District!!!
