Everything sublime is as difficult as it is rare. Baruch Spinoza

Monday, April 27, 2009

It's The Bee's Knees

 I think it safest to base our assumption, that bee culture, in some respects is a hazardous business, even amongst the most thorough and careful. 
A.I. Root 1882

I'm contemplating becoming a beekeeper. Yes, you read correctly; a beekeeper. Why, you ask. Because it has grabbed my attention and has piqued my interest. 

An internet acquaintance set up her first hives three days ago. She lives about 30 minutes away, so I will have the opportunity to visit and see for myself if I want to jump into bees. I have a limited time to decide, as the bee season is now underway.

There is a startup cost that, while not huge, is large enough to give some consideration to. Especially considering my own economic downturn. On the other hand, I have a perfect spot to place hives, a fenced area which hasn't had horses on it for several years (it was eroding badly) that has been allowed to go wild. And there is full sun all day, which is ideal. I will seed it in wildflowers to add to the abundance of clover that is already there. My honey will be floral, as a result. I also have an old apple tree and a lot of flowers on the property, so it is a given.

I have to decide. 

9 comments:

Alicia @ boylerpf said...

Well, charm the pants of those bees and bring on the honey! We see so many beehive boxes in the open country here and have always contemplated doing the same thing. I'm allergic to bees so that kind of ended that discussion but I think it would be such a neat thing to do...especially if you have someone to guide you.

Sandra said...

My husband is nervous. He says I'm impetuous and I jump into things. I don't know what makes him think that? He wants me to wait a year, read maybe I'll forget about it! We'll see. The vegetable garden has him feeling anxiety. He doesn't like to do projects. He belongs in a condo.

Judy said...

Wow, what an interesting adventure! I love learning new things so I say go for it!!

Sandra said...

I'm afraid this will end up being an epic saga. : )

julochka said...

i think you've decided...you said "i will seed it in..." and "i will have floral honey...."

you've decided.

go, get the bees. you'll be doing your part to help preserve them. :-)

Ganeida said...

I think you've decided too ~ or are you seeding this year & buying next? My dad kept bees. Native bees. They don't sting.

Just Jules said...

If you have someone that close that has bees also - it will be easier. Someone to talk to and learn with. Our neighbors have them - again - finally.... they had a bad disease for a few years and have it under control again. If I needed something to do - I would (have) considered it)

sleep on it, don't wait a year.

Britwife said...

I think that is just great! We used to have an old man from town that kept his bees on our property. I love honeycomb!
I would love to have bees myself - but I became allergic to them about 10 years ago. That nips that.
Good luck on this adventure - I say, "Go for it!"

Sandra said...

The disease management is something I need to understand better. I have not been allergic up to now, so I think I'm OK in that area.