Families, children and Occidental College students gathered at the Women’s Twentieth Century Club of Eagle Rock Sept. 12 for The Buzz on Bees — a community event focused on honeybee education.
According to Eagle Rock beekeepers Tania Matthews and Marvin Jordana, who organized the event, bee specimen cards, vocabulary sheets, zines, raw honey samples and a live bee colony were on display.
Matthews said one of the main services she and Jordana provide is ethical bee relocation: rather than exterminating a colony found on someone’s property, the two work with homeowners to move bees to a more sustainable site. Matthews said the process involves tracking sun exposure and seasonal patterns.
Matthews said she recommends residents plant African blue basil, oregano and citronella to draw bees to their yards.
“Pesticides are the worst products you can use,” Matthews said.
Matthews said she began her career as an herbalist. According to Matthews, what started four years ago as an internship with Jordana has since grown into a partnership, with each of the two contributing different areas of expertise.
Jordana said his route to beekeeping began when two bees approached him — one stung his face, and the other flew into his ear and stayed there.
“Fifteen years ago, the bees chose me,” he said.
At the Sep. 12 event, Jordana invited attendees to lean toward a colony enclosure and breathe in through the mesh. Jordana said the scent was a mix of honey, wax and something earthy. Jordana said if he smells the colony enclosure long enough, it puts him to sleep.
According to Jordana, pollinators are the backbone of society, and humans have grown increasingly distant from natural systems they depend on. Jordana said bees represent sweetness and pain.
“Goodness ceases to exist without the sting,” Jordana said.
Lana Abou-Assi, who has been on the Women’s Twentieth Century Club board for nine months, was the event’s coordinator. Abou-Assi said the club has been expanding its programming by hosting low-cost community events. Abou-Assi said the building’s status as a historical landmark requires renovations to restore rather than replace existing features, which has shaped the club’s upkeep process. According to About-Assi, due to the building’s restoration projects, events have been scattered, but they are hoping to host more consistently.
According to Abou-Assi, 50 to 60 people attended the bee-keeping event. Abou-Assi said the event turnout was exciting because there were many new faces curious about the space itself. Abou-Assi said the club aims to be a space where people feel welcome to learn as their authentic selves.
“We like the kind of personal touch that allows us at smaller events to actually connect with the people who are attending,” Abou-Assi said.
According to Abou-Assi, the Women’s Twentieth Century Club wants to educate people on the history of the space and their goals as an organization.
“It’s so nice to see families coming in, kids running around, because this is how the space has always been,” Abou-Assi said.
Abou-Assi said she was introduced to Jordana through a mutual friend.
“[Jordana] has been very kind in helping me connect with other folks in the community to bring in new programming,” Abou-Assi said.
According to Abou-Assi, most of the special guests who come to host events are found through word of mouth rather than formal outreach.
“I’m fairly well connected. I’ve done other community work in the area,” Abou-Assi said. “Some of the women on the board have been a part of the women’s club for 10-plus years, so I think just by nature of networking is how we’re meeting most of these people.”
Abou-Assi said as the Women’s Twentieth Century Club continues its restoration efforts, their goal is to keep building on their history, with a new focus on accessibility, and the community and environment leading the way.
According to Abou-Assi, the significance of events like The Buzz on Bees lies less in the turnout of numbers and more in what they represent: a chance for residents to become part of a tradition that predates them, and to become immersed in the community around them.
“It’s really exciting to be able to open up our space to free events for the community, and also just getting people to be a part of the history of the space,” Abou-Assi said. “This is how the space has always been.”
Contact Lillie Avery at averyl@oxy.edu.
