Beekeeping Adventure

April 04, 2007

I have always been interested in beekeeping. Social insects are fascinating!!! Ants are amazing...and so are bees. I am a nature lover in general, so the thought of beekeeping is right in line with most of my interests. I am excited about caring for a colony of bees that will in turn pollinate my plants and yield me a bit of honey. Anything that pays for its self in food is a winner with me.

So, I have started my beekeeping adventure in earnest. As of now, I have no experience, but I am searching out some clever and helpful local keepers to share their knowledge. In addition, I am hoping to be able to help (read "hinder") a local keeper with some of his bees.

I decided to keep a journal of my experiences on line. You can read along as I share my joys and failures. I will share the helpful info that I acquire and relate after-the-fact, hopefully humorous, stories about bees in my bra and swarms in my garage.

I recently checked out all but one book from my local library on beekeeping. I've read four so far. By far, my favorite has been The Backyard Beekeeper by Kim Flottum. I am putting this book on my want list to have a copy of my own. She explains EVERYTHING about bees in an easy to understand manner. All terms are explained and/or illustrated. She also recognizes that there are many different motivations for beekeepers. She does not appear to be a beekeeping snob...in that she encourages all sorts of levels of keeping. One of the most brilliant aspects of her book is how she stresses making beekeeping an enjoyable experience...and not letting it become a chore. For instance, she recommends the smaller supers which will hold honey, so that when full you will be moving 60 lbs. of honey instead of 100 lbs. For a lady with poor upper body strength this is an important consideration. She empahsizes several time and labor saving tips throughout the text. Read it!

July 5, 2007

Sadly, I was unable to attend a beekeeping seminar sponsored by the Mississippi Beekeepers Association in Jackson a while back. What a great missed opportunity! I hear that the annual meeting will be in Hattiesburg. I hope to attend that, though.

On a recent trip to the Museum of Natural Science in Jackson, I got to stare at their observation hive. Happy little bees going on about their bee business. I have briefly considered an observation hive, but from what I have read, they tend to be too small to keep a hive healthy. The observation hives I have seen only room for one or two frames. There are probably much larger observation hives, but, no doubt, out of my price range.

Today I found out that my friend Mr. Boliver was formerly a Bee Tinkerer. This bit of info thrilled me, because I know I will be asking for advice at some point.

I have been quite unnerved by the lack of honey bees that I have seen this year. A nearby patch of nandina bloomed earlier this year. There was a steady drone of busy bees...but all bumbles. I saw my first honeybee only last week drinking visiting one of my garden ponds for a drink of water. I am committed to growing some bee favorite plants next year, even if I don't get my hive next spring. We cannot loose our honey bees!

My family has totally given up syrup at our house. Now it is only honey for pancakes and biscuits. I don't know why we wasted so much of our life eating only syrup. Thanks to the Dale family and their Beelicous Honey

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Last updated 07/05/2007.