Just over a year ago, my husband and I became beginner beekeepers and it has been such an interesting experience so far! I have been interested in getting honey bees for several years and the main reason was to help them thrive and survive as it was becoming more obvious that loss of habitat and pesticides were endangering our bees worldwide. No bees… no food.
For those that have read some of my other blog posts this last year, you probably know that I am passionate about growing and foraging my own food and plant medicine as much as possible… so bees are a huge part of making that happen. And what I can’t make or grow myself, I source as locally and organically as I possibly can so once again… I understand how important the role of the bee is to secure our food source.
Anyways… back to the bees! After moving to a rural property, a couple of years ago, the plan for setting up an apiary commenced! I took a beekeeping course, hubby built me an enclosed area with an electric fence to keep the Winnie the Pooh’s out and we started to accumulate the loads of specialized equipment that we needed to get started.
We started with 2 hives. One was an established hive that was full of bees, frames with drawn out comb and a queen that was already laying eggs as fast as she could. The other hive was brand new everything! All of the boxes and frames were brand new so there was no honeycomb built out and we just put a package of bees and a queen in there and shut the lid and let them settle in to their new home. We fed them some sugar syrup as it was early May and nothing was blooming yet and in less than a week, they had enough comb built out for the queen to start laying eggs!
I think it was this moment that my fascination with the honey bee grew by 1000%!
What they accomplished and built in one week was so incredible that my mind was blown! If I had had a beehive camera inside that hive that I could have watched… I would have been glued to it 24/7!
We have had some bee-autiful moments with our bees this last year and even though the learning curve has been steep and we have made our fair share of mistakes, we were also successful in over wintering them which was a feat! Both of our hives came out of winter fairly strong and have continued to thrive so far. One of them was so full of bees and looked so healthy that we attempted our first hive split just over a week ago… which isn’t necessarily a beginner move!
I was getting a little concerned that they were going to swarm soon because the hive was so full. We hadn’t seen any swarm queen cells being made yet but I felt it was only a matter of time. Since this hive swarmed last summer, we wanted to be proactive and attempt a split and give them some more room… hoping to preemptively stop any swarming activity.
It was a bit of a gamble as there are so many factors that need to be in play for both hives to thrive afterward, but I am happy to report that we checked the hives last night and we identified the hive that has the original queen and the other hive has already started rearing a new queen. We found a capped queen cell which will happen 8 days after they start feeding the egg a special diet fit for a queen. This means that literally within hours of not having a queen in the hive, the little worker bees knew she was not there and took matters into their own hands and got busy incubating a new queen! Absolutely fascinating!
We are not out of the danger zone yet as she still needs to hatch, sexually mature and take a few successful mating flights before we know that everything is in working order within the hive! It will probably be about 2.5 or 3 weeks to see if the new queen has successfully made it through the gauntlet of queenhood and everything is right in that particular bee kingdom again! Cross your fingers for her!
With some experience… a new sense of calm and patience has emerged and I am already enjoying the beekeeping so much more than last year! We have slowed down, are more gentle and methodical and have found our inner patience somewhere along the way! I believe the bees can pick up on your vibes and act accordingly to the frequency you are putting out… so once again the incredible power of the universe teaches us this lesson about the power of our inner vibration and what we project out into the world attracts what we receive.
Beekeeping has even given me a new perspective on the immediate world around me. I have become more attuned to the changing seasons and what effect (good or bad) they have on my bees, more aware of the flowers and plants that the bees love and what other insects or animals are making their existence harder. I have started to see and appreciate the intricate web of life that connects everything in my garden, and I feel a profound sense of gratitude for the role my bees are playing in it.
We are also extremely grateful to have had a couple of mentors, that have many years of beekeeping experience, help us out throughout last season and continue to offer advice and guidance whenever we need. I think we often lose sight of how valuable mentors and teachers can be in our lives… they can leave a lasting impression whether you are 5 or 50 (or beyond) years old! Find your gurus… and sit back to listen to their teachings.
I have jokingly called beekeeping a ‘sport’ these last few months as I have often felt like I am either in a game of chess or a football match half the time. But here I am, only one year under my belt, and I am utterly captivated by the honey bees and enjoying the many sweet moments and successes’, gentle humming and buzzing and a deeper connection to nature that they bring into my life. Calling it a hobby doesn’t quite fit either … maybe stewardship? Or simply a new apiculture lifestyle?
A label doesn’t really matter … the zen and joy it is bringing me is enough to know that it will be a passion for the rest of my life!
Bee kind to our bees… we need them and the pollination service they provide in order for our own food sources to be available far into the future. Plant bee-loving flowering plants, practice ‘no mow May’ (to allow them to take advantage of the only thing that is flowering so early – dandelions) and don’t use chemicals or harmful fertilizers on your lawn and garden. I have seen first hand what happens to a honey bee that has been feeding off sprayed plants and weeds... it is absolutely cruel and extremely heartbreaking.
I may be posting some of our beekeeping moments on our socials throughout the summer so if you see them… give us a like! You will know the back story and understand how much love and pride I have for my bees! And yes... that is ‘my bee’ in the cover photo!!!
Much Love ❤️🐝🌺
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