Local Buzz Andelsbirøkterlag 2024

Local Buzz functions on a membership-based model, where citizens subscribe to a share in our community hives. Our central mission is to increase citizen participation in urban beekeeping by providing accessible activities, demystifying the world of bees and the profession of beekeeping. Furthermore, we aspire to elevate the appreciation of local honey within our community!

2024 membership packages

Click here to sign-up!

Hands-on membership (30 spots): 3650 kr

Honey share (2.5-3.5 kg); wax share (30 gr); webinar; access to the Learning platform; newsletters; monthly participation in hive inspections at Greenhouse Oslo; honey harvesting & extraction workshop at Greenhouse Oslo; honey tasting workshop at Gartneriet på Kongsgården; access to suits and gloves

Basic membership (30 spots): 2500 kr

Honey share (2.5-3.5 kg); webinar; access to the Learning platform; newsletters; one hive inspection in June at Gartneriet på Kongsgården; honey extraction workshop at Kongsgården; honey tasting workshop at Gartneriet på Kongsgården; access to suits and gloves

Program

Information/welcome meeting at Gartneriet: 26 February, 17:00-18:00

Webinar: 19 March, 18:00-20:00

First hive visit: 16 April, 16:00-17:00 – to be confirmed

Harvest workshops: End of June – End of August

What does it mean to be a member?

The membership fee is paid in advance to become a 1/10th shareholder of a Local Buzz hive. At the end of the season, honey is shared equally among members. In an average year, one hive produces around 25 kg. This means one shar

e would get 2.5 kg, which is your yearly consumption! Local, unprocessed, clean and 100% real honey.

The hives are maintained and cared for by an experienced beekeeper, so the primary responsibility lies with the beekeeper. However, depending on your membership, you are invited at least once to the hives to visit the bees who produce this golden delicacy for you! Suits and gloves are provided so you just bring a curious mind.

2023-2021 members get a 10% discount!

Hands-on membership

Hive inspection

Local Buzz hands-on members become co-beekeepers, who attend hive inspections and learn about the practice through participation. Hands-on members participate once a month in hive inspections at the rooftop of Greenhouse Oslo. Basic members attend one hive visit organised in June.

We inspect the hives in a group of 4-5. The group size is intentionally small to enable the participants to observe, ask questions, contribute, and in general get the most out of the experience.

Hive inspections are carried out (almost) weekly during the season to ensure the wellbeing of our bees. We do not like to open the hives more than necessary therefore there are approximately 20 hive inspections in one season, and thus, a limited number of spots.

We meet on Tuesdays at 16:30 at Greenhouse Oslo, weather permitting (beekeeping is undesirable when it is rainy). We will coordinate for another day if this is the case. Hands-on hives are at the rooftop of this building, and we have a room for storage within the building.

Hive inspections last around 60 min to 90 min in total depending on the task at hand. Idil introduces the task to the group and frames the purpose the beginning of the visit, then as we work Idil explains what is happening inside the hive and what it means. There are always numerous moments of learning when we are hands-on at the hives. These are the opportunities to link practice with theory.

Hive inspection notes are recorded in the beekeeping diary, which is a part of the Learning Platform, in order to bridge the gap between hive inspections. Newsletters summarise monthly developments at the hives.

Workshops

When the time comes, we harvest frames full of honey from our community hives and bring them inside the building for honey extraction. Quite the short-travelled, low footprint honey We have a full set-up for honey extraction indoors.

The extraction workshops (slyngedager) are held during weekends/weekday evenings, in groups of 4, at Greenhouse Oslo. This is an extremely unique activity, seeing the transfer of this golden liquid from frames into jars. It engages every sense, from the sweet smelling aroma to sticky hands! Not to mention the taste straight from a honey-laden frame!

We typically harvest specific to each queen: Queen Mel, Queen Yaps and Queen D are some of our resident queens in 2024. At the end of the season, you will have several different honeys, each one distinctive of the season and the colony who produced it.

The wax never goes to waste. Norwegian wax is very precious! Hands-on members receive a share of wax through a wax rendering workshop. This means purifying the wax that we recycle from old frames, wax cappings and other scrap wax.

Last but not the least, we organise a season closing event with a honey tasting workshop at Gartneriet på Kongsgården — try to use our senses to describe the taste profile of each product! This is your first step to becoming a «honey connoisseur».

Learning

The key to learning is your engagement. And the link to our Learning Platform!

The learning platform is designed to hold exciting and interesting content and resources for your learning journey in beekeeping. This will stay with you even after your membership is over. Through the platform you will have access to videos, blogposts, webinar slides, links, events, and so much more!

We delve into the fascinating world of beekeeping through a webinar organised in March/April, which will be recorded and shared afterwards. The goal is to give all members a foundation for their journey in learning all about honeybees and the world of beekeeping.

The newsletters are a source of real-time information. You receive these to get updates on your hives, the specific attributes of the month we’re in, announcements about events and other activities, and inspiring links to keep you buzzing.

Basic membership

Basic members attend one hive visit organised in June!

During the 1.5-hour session, we’ll guide you through the fascinating dynamics of the hive and answer all your burning questions. It’s a unique opportunity to witness the magic of bees and gain a deeper appreciation for their vital role in our ecosystem. This amazing experience will take place at one of ByBi’s beautiful locations, either Dronningparken or Gartneriet på Bygdøy Kongsgården. We’ll provide you with the necessary suits and gloves.

Workshops

When the time comes, we transport our hives to the extraction room in Kongsgården. Quite the short-travelled, low footprint honey This is an extremely unique activity, seeing the transfer of this golden liquid from frames into jars. It engages every sense, from the sweet smelling aroma to sticky hands! Not to mention the taste straight from a honey-laden frame!

The extraction workshops (slyngedager) will be held on Saturdays, during the whole day, and basic members can sign-up to join a slot during the day. Then it is possible to be a smaller group of 4, and gain a fuller understanding of the process. We have a full set-up for honey extraction at Kongsgården. A basic member can attend 1 workshop.

We will harvest two times: at the end of June and end of August. This means you will have 2 different kinds of honey! There will be collection days to bring your jars and tap your own honey into glasses! A share corresponds to between 2.5-3.5 kg, depending on the season.

Last but not the least, we organise a season closing event with a honey tasting workshop at Gartneriet på Kongsgården — try to use our senses to describe the taste profile of each product! This is your first step to becoming a «honey connoisseur».

Learning

The key to learning is your engagement. And the link to our Learning Platform!

The learning platform is designed to hold exciting and interesting content and resources for your learning journey in beekeeping. This will stay with you even after your membership is over. Through the platform you will have access to videos, blogposts, webinar slides, links, events, and so much more!

We delve into the fascinating world of beekeeping through a webinar organised in March/April, which will be recorded and shared afterwards. The goal is to give all members a foundation for their journey in learning all about honeybees and the world of beekeeping.

The newsletters are a source of real-time information. You receive these to get updates on your hives, the specific attributes of the month we’re in, announcements about events and other activities, and inspiring links to keep you buzzing.

What to expect?

• This program is English. You can expect a diverse like-minded community from very different backgrounds who share a similar interest as you! Getting to know the bees  There are 30 seats.
• A LOT of learning moments. Once we open the hive, countless inspiring and fascinating moments of learning will emerge. However, this isn’t a formal educational program, but rather an apprenticeship, so what we learn depends on what happens at the hives at that moment! Your personal engagement is key to your learning! The more involved you are, the more you learn.
• Very clean, very local, unprocessed and hard-earned raw honey + precious Norwegian wax + numerous bee facts up your sleeve
• Hot summer afternoons in the beekeeping suit
• Heavy box lifting, good for muscles; but many hands make light work!
• Fresh liquid honey right from the hives
• The simple delight of seeing the bees at work
• The pure happiness of connecting with a superorganism and getting to understand a little bit of their world
• The novelty of participating a CSB/Andelsbirøkterlag, which is a rarity in Norway as well as Europe!

Read more about Local Buzz here