SAN FRANCISCO — Robert MacKimmie grew up in the Southern California orange groves and transitioned from careers in photography and high tech to beekeeping.

Beekeeping “was complex enough to interest me, and completely fulfilling because it gave me the ability to work with nature every day, and bees were becoming vital because of their global health challenges,” he said.

Urban beekeeper

But MacKimmie’s operation, City Bees, is different. It’s based in the city.

His bee hives are installed in backyards, gardens and parks at 35 sites around the Bay Area. Many of the hives are in the backyards of San Francisco residents who host the bees in exchange for honey.

The taste of the honey depends on the location of the hive. Gardens and flowers bloom according to the microclimate of each location.

“I know things from the previous era of beekeeping that younger beekeepers can’t glean from any YouTube instructional video. I learned from the old guys, and now I am one of the old guys,” he said.

Biggest challenge

The biggest problem facing bees is a parasite, the Varroa destructor mite. It jumped species from the Asian honeybee to the European Western honeybee, which doesn’t have the same genetic defenses, he said.

The mite spreads several bad viruses, including Deformed Wing Virus, which is killing most of the bees.

Organic acids such as formic and oxalic acids, can control mite reproduction without the use of pesticides, he said. These acids don’t get into the honey or the beeswax comb, and don’t create resistance within the mite population.

Specialized queens

“The work that is most important for me right now at this critical bee moment is my work producing specialized queen bees which have genetic traits controlling the Varroa parasite,” he said.

“I am breeding bees which have a ‘Varroa sensitive hygiene’ behavior, where the olfactory senses of the bees can smell the presence of Varroa mites, and the bees tear open the brood cells of the incubating bee pupae, interrupting mite reproduction,” he said.

To further this effort, this year he learned to do queen insemination, “so that I can raise specific genetic lines of bees, and then cross those traits into other specific genetic lines of bees,” he said.

By reproducing special inseminated breeder queen mothers, the queen daughters hold genetic traits that naturally control mite reproduction.

The more queen daughters, the more dominant natural bee health will return to the bee “workforce,” he said.

“Beyond honey for people’s enjoyment, making specialized queens seems to be the most important work that I can undertake with my remaining time as a farmer,” he said.

Sweet success

“The honey I produce in San Francisco, and the wider Bay Area, is remarkable, so that is a major win for the people who shop at the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market,” said MacKimmie, a long-time participant in the city’s largest market.

“Since 2015, Robert has been bringing his hyper-local honeys to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market for visitors to taste a whole world of flavor and learn about the vital importance of bees,” said Brie Mazurek, communications director of Foodwise, which sponsors the Ferry Plaza market.

“His care as a beekeeper and educator shine through as he connects our San Francisco community with these special creatures and the diverse plants and landscapes they inhabit, all right here within our Bay Area backyards,” she said.

Hometown: San Francisco

Occupation: Beekeeper, City Bees

Education: University of California-Riverside and Arizona State University

Quote: “Being a farmer in San Francisco has its challenges, but it has always been the most remarkable activity that I could have ever undertaken.”