The concrete jungle may not be a place you'd expect to find colonies of bees, but along riversides and atop buildings in northern Taiwan, urban beekeepers are teaching people about the important roles bees play in local ecosystems—and how they're not all that scary.
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00:00 Tucked away amid the urban sprawl, by the riverside in New Taipei, a deep buzzing fills
00:07 the air as bee enthusiast Tsai Ming-hsien holds a beekeeping workshop.
00:13 "The queen bee is a normal fish, but it's been bitten open.
00:18 You can see it's been bitten out of the end of the body."
00:23 "People have a misconception that bees should live in the countryside.
00:27 No, bees are like ants, butterflies, and mosquitos.
00:31 They live in our surroundings and share the same natural resources with us."
00:35 Tsai's students, many retirees looking for a new hobby, watch as he takes them through
00:41 the complexities of hive care.
00:43 "Hives are not as simple as we think.
00:47 They don't have food in winter.
00:49 How do we take care of them?"
00:51 "The purpose of beekeeping is to protect the environment.
00:54 It's good for the environment.
00:56 That's why I'm learning beekeeping."
00:58 With dozens of workshops a year and around 30 students attending each session, there's
01:03 strong interest in beekeeping, but only a handful of Tsai's students actually end up
01:08 raising their own colonies.
01:10 These workshops aren't necessarily about convincing people to raise their own bees.
01:14 They're more about education and dispelling the stigma surrounding these important insects.
01:20 And promoting a stronger relationship between people and bees.
01:25 "I don't want everyone to like bees.
01:28 But at least when you see them, you should treat them in the right way.
01:31 Because of urbanization, the high density of concrete and jungle, these animals that
01:35 could have lived in our surroundings are no longer breathable."
01:39 Across the river in Taipei City, on the rooftop of the National Science Education Center,
01:45 Tsai and one of his pupils, Lin Shu-Chen, care for even more urban colonies, using them
01:51 as a teaching tool for curious visitors.
01:54 Though Lin had a rocky start to her beekeeping experience.
01:57 "It was the most turbulent time.
02:00 As soon as I opened the door, bees started chasing me.
02:03 I started running.
02:05 I kept running and running.
02:07 I was in a state of disarray.
02:09 Now that I think about it, it's funny.
02:11 During this process, we learned from our teacher.
02:15 And we started to think, bees are really cute."
02:20 A vital part of ecosystems and agriculture, bees do much more than produce honey.
02:26 "They collect honey and pollen from the flowers.
02:28 This activity helps plants to produce pollen.
02:30 It's also a source of food for other carnivorous animals.
02:34 So bees play a vital role in the ecosystem."
02:39 Although beekeeping may not be for everybody, it's a hobby that requires time, space and dedication,
02:46 there are other, easier ways city dwellers can help support local insect populations.
02:52 "Urban beekeeping is great, but if you don't want to manage the bees yourself,
02:56 one thing you can do is build a pollinator garden.
02:59 Plant flowers, ideally native to Taiwan that don't need a lot of management to grow in the climate here,
03:05 that have big, beautiful flowers for the bees that are already in Taipei to come to and feed from.
03:12 You can also provide places for native bees to make their nest."
03:17 While raising urban hives may not be a comprehensive solution to struggling bee populations,
03:22 the education and exposure it provides helps city folk form a deeper understanding and appreciation
03:29 for the creatures we share this world with.
03:31 Justin Wu, Devon Tai and Rhys Ayres for Taiwan Plus.
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