CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. - Charlottetown’s most stylish bee-keeping operation is hoping a newly completed structure will
encourage kids to see the honey bee as more of a friend than foe.
The Urban Beehive Project, the brainchild of local architects Shallyn Murray and Silva Stojak, held an open house on Thursday for its newest structure – a series of wooden honeycomb shapes piled on top of one another, built on top of a raised deck. The addition will function as both a climbing gym for kids, as well as a map of the bee-keeping process.
"We decided that we were going to branch out to presentational structure, a small amphitheatre that also serves as signage and an educational platform for kids," said Stojak
"The idea is that bees burrow in these hexagonal combs. We wanted to create human-sized ones that kids could kind of get inside and play with," Murray said.
The structure was very popular with kids on Thursday, as many scrambled up the honeycomb cells and peered out at their parents from inside.
Both Murray and Stojak hope the site, located along the Confederation Trail in Charlottetown's Legacy Garden, will help raise awareness about the importance of bees for the Island’s agricultural economy.
"The Island being such a large agricultural industry, we thought it was really important to spread that message about how pollinators help us sustain ourselves," Murray said.
The two architects originally opened the Urban Beehive project three years ago. Working with local carpenter Brodye Chappell, the two designed a pair of “beehive sculptures,” two elongated hexagonal structures with a door and small Plexiglass windows, to house the hives. Bruce Smith, a local beekeeper, partnered with Murray and Stojak to help establish the operation.
"The first thing we ask the kids is ‘why do we want bees?’ People will answer 'well, we want the honey’. But, equally important, maybe even more so, is pollination. All of the fruit wouldn't result if we didn't have pollination."
-Bruce Smith
Although raising funds to establish the Urban Beehive Project was initially a challenge, the second phase of the project attracted a major sponsor. Murray and Stojak managed to secure a $25,000 grant from TD Bank for construction of the new structure, bringing the total amount raised for the volunteer operation to $60,000.
"The first year we basically asked everyone we knew, applied for tons of grants,” Murray said, adding that before the Urban Beehive opened, she would often go door-to-door to secure donations.
Smith, who originally hails from Morell, P.E.I., highlighted the importance of bees in a presentation to parents and children Thursday night.
"The first thing we ask the kids is ‘why do we want bees?’ People will answer 'well, we want the honey’,” he said.
“But, equally important, maybe even more so, is pollination. All of the fruit wouldn't result if we didn't have pollination."
