Brennan Haselton, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – New members of a community garden have some locals buzzing this week.
As part of Mayor Vince Gray’s sustainability plan, the District’s Urban Forestry Administration has put nine beehives near several community gardens and at other places around the city.
At the Newark Street Community Garden in Northwest, excited gardeners looked on as two hives, or colonies, were put inside a small chain link fence enclosure Wednesday.
“I love it,” said a gardener who is in his seventh year tending a plot. “We need it for the garden.”
Nearby, a woman pulling weeds said she was glad for the expected increase in pollination and “having a habitat for (the bees) since they have problems disappearing.”
When asked what she hopes the bees mean another gardener added with a laugh, “What they recommended is plant cucumbers and cantaloupe, and we will proliferate all over the earth!”
“I’m really excited both for the garden and the city,” said a 10-year veteran of the garden. “It’s a real wonderful thing that we’re working to create a healthier eco-system for Washington, D.C.”
The city’s Chief Forester John Thomas that, if all goes well, they plan to put more hives around the city and even harvest the honey at some point. The sticky sweet treat would then be turned over to groups that help feed those in need.
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