This week’s Portland Phoenix reports on the rising interest in beekeeping in Portland.
Interest in backyard beekeeping has increased dramatically in the last five years, says MacGregor-Forbes, who teaches three courses through the University of Maine Cooperative Extension program. Off the top of her head, she can think of 25 urban beekeepers in the city of Portland, but there are about 800 beekeepers in Maine who manage a total of 10,000 hives. “Most people keep bees as a way to give back to the environment,” she says. “The bonus is that they get honey.”