Buzz: Urban Beekeeping and the Power of the Bee

Acknowledgments

>> ix Acknowledgments As a truly collaborative project, we have worked together by immersing ourselves for more than three years in the world of beekeeping in New York City. But the collaboration goes well beyond the work of two sociologists; Buzz is made possible through the intra- and interspecies minglings around and beyond the metropolis. This project could not have been possible without the urban beekeepers who have been open, patient, generous, and compassionate teachers guiding us through the world of honeybees. We are especially grateful for the generosity of Liane Newton and Jim Fischer, for their taking the time to introduce us to the world of NYC beekeeping. The NYC Beekeeping Meetup is a marvelous resource for New Yorkers, providing free beekeeping instruction. We also owe much to Sam Comfort for teaching us about top bar beekeeping and providing access to his bee yards. To the honeybees, the tens of thousands that we have observed, touched, rescued, smooshed, moved, swatted, photographed, and written about, we thank you. Our colleagues both at Purchase College and beyond have provided us with exceptional critiques and constructive advice: we are indebted to Monica Casper, Patricia Clough, Mobina Hashmi, Matthew Immergut , Chrys Ingraham, Kristen Karlberg, Suzanne Kessler, Jason Pine, and Jennifer Terry. Our colleagues Derek Denckla, Abou Farman, Shaka McGlotten, Lorraine Plourde, Michelle Stewart, and one of our students, John Comitale, thoughtfully kept all things bee on their radars by sending us bee articles, bee poetry, and bee ideas. Eben Kirksey has been invaluable as a dedicated reader and engaged scholar; this book is greatly enhanced because of his attention. Our students Rory Aledort and Lara Rodriguez have also been careful and smart readers. In particular , Mathew McDowell offered exquisite suggestions throughout the entire text and more than once corrected both animal facts (about penguins ) and organizational difficulties. The Purchase College librarian, x << Acknowledgments Darcy Gervasio, provided us with etymological research assistance as well as moral support. Finally, Marcello Marcoccia’s translation and astonishing interpersonal skills made access to and interviewing of Italian beekeepers possible. Lisa Jean would like to thank her parents, Linda and Richard Moore, for their encouragement and love. Her husband, Paisley Currah, could not be a more devoted reader, enticing distraction, and doting father. Every day he reminds her of what is important in life and how to slow down to notice it. Grace, Georgia, and Greta are and will always be the most enthusiastic research assistants, intuitive sociologists, and inspiring daughters. In particular, Lisa Jean wants to apologize for not taking as seriously as she should four-year-old Grace’s bee sting. (She feels, through this project and after suffering a few stings herself, overwhelming maternal guilt.) Fraser Currah provided a breadth of bee-related links and articles . She also thanks her friends Patti Curtis and Patty Howells for reading earlier chapters of the book and offering moral support. Mary would like to thank her mother, Elizabeth Jesella, for her endless enthusiasm and morale building, as well as expert copyediting skills that tightened up this and many other projects. Her father, John Kosut, taught her early on that bees are good for us, plus he gave her vintage National Geographic collections and books about the end of the universe. Mary is truly grateful to her partner/pandrogyne, Mike Schreiber, who patiently engaged in long conversations about bee diseases , the merits of Joseph Beuys’s artwork, and other idiosyncratic bee facts and uses. Mike’s way of seeing and entangling with a slimy, creepy, weird world makes each day make more sense. This research has been supported by the Purchase College Green Fee Fund to create a pollination garden on campus. In addition, Mary was awarded the Peter and Bette Fishbein Junior Faculty Research Award (2011–2013), which supported publication costs. We also thank Christine Dahlin for her masterful copyediting. Finally the editorial assistants Aiden Amos and Caelyn Cobb at New York University Press have provided crucial expert assistance with images, formatting, and production . Our editor, Ilene Kalish, has literally and deeply considered every word, image, argument, and concept in this book. Through her commitment to our work, this book has been enriched and transformed— we are grateful for her brainpower. ...