Mark Berman has assembled quite a network.
The Pennsport native took up beekeeping about nine years ago and even started his own company Anna Bee’s Honey LLC last year.
Now he’s responsible for about 800,000 honey bees that live among 13 colonies in one gated park in Grays Ferry. Keeping bees can be a lot of work and take up a lot of time. But Berman forges forward each weekend to help nearly a million bees survive.
“I dedicate one day a week to checking up on all 13 colonies,” he said. “It’s a lot of work and it’s exhausting. But being a bee keeper is a lot of education, it’s a lot of work and you’re constantly learning. After nine years, I’m still learning what I’m looking at. You can’t do it over the winter, so if you’re like me, you forget half of what you learned the year before.”
Berman jokes at forgetting what he’s learned about the vital insects. In fact, he’s received a Master of Beekeeping certificate through an online program at Cornell University after earning a scholarship through the Bee Conservancy.
His apiary is now home to several swarms of bees that he saved from around the city including swarms salvaged from a street dining space at Tria Cafe in Rittenhouse Square, along the river on Kelly Drive and a planter along Jeweler’s Row.
“I’m way over my head in bees,” Berman admits. “I have 13 colonies, which is way too much and causes too much anxiety because I have a full time-job besides that. But it’s also fun.”
Since last year, Berman has been trying to get others interested in beekeeping by offering Beekeeper for a Day experiences, which are a two-hour immersive, hands-on journey for all ages demonstrating beekeeping and teaching about honeybees and their life cycle and role in nature.
Pam Jones of Germantown had been watching videos of bees and became intrigued. It came as a stroke of luck that her friend Kim Haevel signed up for a Beekeeper for a Day experience so Jones was quick to join.
“I was on TikTok and saw a video on the honey comb,” Jones said. “It looked so appealing and I thought, ‘How does this happen?’ I wanted to look into more about bees. Two days later, my friend Kim said she was coming to this. So I’m here.”
The two women were part of a group of more than a dozen eager bee enthusiasts who learned first-hard from Berman about the behavior of honey bees. Berman used wooden frames with illustrations to help enlighten his teachings. Then it was time to suit up and get up-close and personal with the winged insects.
“I was little scared, but I held it and I felt the warmth,” said North Philly resident Radiah Whaley Fowler. “I learned a lot and I’m not as scared anymore. Before, I would have been back there by the gates. From one to 10 of how scared I was, when I came in, I was a 15. Now I’m about a seven.”
It’s actually the bees that are in danger. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, more than half of North America’s 4,000 native bee species are in decline, with one in four species at risk of extinction. That’s what makes Berman’s mission — and passion — so important. Some have already joined the fight, including Whaley Fowler’s cousin, who goes by the name of Miss Honey Bee. She started her own apiary in North Philly.
“I could do this all day,” she said. “I love nature. I love being outdoors. I joined Girl Scouts when I was a junior in high school. I was always interested in reconnecting with nature and when I was living in Atlanta, I planted some trees and I think that put me on a journey. When I came back to Philly I joined (Pennsylvania Horticultural Society) and became a tree tender. I held a carpenter bee during the pandemic and I think that made me want to develop my connection with the species that was calling my name.”
Joining the Beekeeper for a Day experience doesn’t necessarily mean participants need to continue on a path of beekeeping. The experience has been enjoyed by adventure seekers looking to learn everything about the species to those just wanting to partake in a unique date. No matter the intentions, those that complete the experience depart with a bottle of honey harvested from Anna Bee’s Honey’s apiary located in Grays Ferry at Growing Together Garden. Berman said the apiary produces about 400-700 pounds of honey a year. The Beekeeper experience costs $75 a person and full protective gear is provided for all participants.
“I’ve only been doing this since last June, but it’s a perfect space for it and people seem really excited to come check out the bees,” Berman said.
He had many satisfied customers on a chilly April Saturday morning.
“This is my first experience and I was quite nervous around bees, because that’s what you’re taught, but they were quite interesting,” Whaley Fowler said. “They have quite a society and organization.”
A lot of the excitement surrounded Berman’s buzzing enthusiasm.
“I love his passion,” Jones said. “His head is brimming with all kinds of things he wants to tell us. To see someone that passionate about whatever it is they are doing, as long as it’s good-natured, is wonderful to see. He’s so gracious with his knowledge and his time.”
