The population of our homestead
…is increasing this April.
By 12,000 little black-and-yellow souls, to be as exact as one can be in these circumstances.
Little honeybees. They get here in April, and by post!
I hear the post office calls you at 6am when the day’s packages are delivered for sorting, and the one with your name on it is buzzing.
This feels so different than anything we’ve done before. Chickens and cats and tomato plants are dependent on us—we are an irreplaceable part of their little ecosystems. But bees belong to themselves. If you lure them in and house them somewhere with water and windbreak and early morning sun, they’ll stay on and go about their wild, complicated bee business all on their own.
I’m not sure you can love a chicken before you meet it– there’s not as much about the idea of a chicken that inspires reverence. But bees are so incomprehensibly complex and wonderful, you can love them even in the abstract. I am in love with the idea of bees.
We owe my father our thanks for this gift, and for the inclination that made it so welcome. I’m proud that there are bees in my family, and that proximity to beekeeping can increase one’s own predisposition. I’m also proud of Dad, our family’s first beekeeper, for being predisposed without any proximity at all.
I can’t wait to give Bee’s a go go.
I’m toying with the chickens, and we’re going to try the garden AGAIN {they say THird times the Charm, hmmm, we’ll see}
Yes, Thank you DaD~ She’s so Excited!
Oh my goodness i LOVE that you’re getting bees! Have you ever seen the television show Pushing Daisies? They only had two seasons which is sooo sad because it was perfect. And I don’t even watch TV. But rent it if you haven’t seen it because she loves bees too! And has some up on the rooftop. And it’s darling.
Those Beehive beehives were the best!
I love bees. My dad and I raised bees. No, really…they weren’t just his, they were truly ours. I was petrified at first, as a little 5-6 y/o girl but with time and experience, those bees and their hives that we would occasionally rob were such a wonderful part of my pre-teen and even in my teenage years. A great passion that Dad and I could share.
Good luck, good times learning and wonderful times canning your own honey from your wonderful bees.
Peace & Love,
~Barb~
I am taking a beekeeping class this semester (just for fun) thought you might enjoy seeing my homework this week!
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8625018/wk2_colonycyclediagram.jpg
AMY! That’s phenomenal! It’s true that really no one’s homework should ever be that pretty, but we’ll make an exception.
Bill is adamant that it must be his desktop at work form now on. Hope you don’t mind if it’s stolen just a bit to pass the hours more quickly in an area geologic firm…
Oh I am honored that Bill would have that as his desktop for even 15 minutes.
Any ideas on how to convince my hubby to let me keep my colony in our backyard at the end of the class?
And. What are your plans for pooch protection or are you just going to let him learn the natural way?
THIS IS EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!
What I wouldn’t give to have bees! Once I get yard those are going to be the first addition to the family.
It was only a matter of thyme.
Our best married friendses picked up their bees from a master apiarist on the state border of North Carolina when they moved from Austin to Durham after their honeymoon. So they had bees before they had furniture, which means they really had their priorities straight in my opinion.
Cannot WAIT until your little swarm arrives in April!
I just happened to find your blog on accident, but I am so happy I did! My husband and I have honeybees in the attic of small storage shed behind our house. Any suggestions for luring them into a beehive (you know, the box thing?) this spring? I just want then out of the storage house (there is not access to the attic, and actually, the walls of the old, little house are bursting with them!) but my husband has visions of being a beekeeper. Thanks!
ooooh– house bees! That’s a pickle. I’d definitely start by finding your local beekeepers association. You want to work with beekeepers because they’ll be able to tell if the hive can be moved or not. Sometimes bees can be moved from one place to the other (I think they have tricks for luring hives into special boxes that smell like queen bees, or something?), or through strategic (hate to say it) deconstruction and reconstruction of your attic. There are a few super hardcore old beekeepers in our club that LOVE challenging moves– it’s sort of a point of pride that they moved a swarm from someone’s birdhouse or from someone’s oak tree. Once the bees are out, they can either be installed in your hive if you’ve got one ready, or someone in the beekeeper’s association is usually happy to give your bees a new home somewhere else. (Free bees for them! Bee packages cost $30, and beekeepers are notorious for being super cheap.)
Bill’s parents had a hive living in their chimney, and it couldn’t be extracted. They had to kill the bees, which is really sad, but again, a beekeeper or someone who works closely with the beekeepers association would if know a) if it’s absolutely necessary and nothing else can be done and b) the most effective and humane way to do that.
Regardless of the fate of your attic bees, I think your husband could definitely have beekeeping in his future. Bill and I started going to beekeeping meetings before we got our bees, which was really helpful as we learned. Our club even had a “bee day”, where we got to watch experienced beekeepers put new bees in hives and harvest honey. Totally possible to do it on your own, but a great opportunity if you do have an active club in your area. Good luck–let me know how it goes!