Backyard beekeeping and chicken raising

Guests: Dennis vanEngelsdorp, Brian Moyer, Bea Tassot

These days, it’s not uncommon to find bee hives and chicken coops in urban and suburban backyards.  Backyard beekeeping and chicken-raising have been growing trends for a while now and show no signs of losing steam.  Now there are so many bee hives and chicken flocks in neighborhoods that municipalities are beginning to regulate them, in part due to neighbors’ complaints. Today we’ll talk about what’s behind the popularity of these hobbies and get some tips for beginners. Guest host Mary Cummings-Jordan talks with BRIAN MOYER, a program assistant with Penn State Extension who owns Green Haven Farm in Berks County, Pennsylvania, and BEA TASSOT, owner of Tassot Apiaries in Hunterdon, New Jersey.  But first, DENNIS VANENGELSDORP, University of Maryland entomologist, gives us an update on the health of wild bee populations who have been hit hard by colony collapse disorder over the last decade.