I’ve spent several weekend afternoons in the last month or so prepping for the arrival of the ladies. I ordered 2 8-frame “garden hives” from Brushy Mountain Bee Farm, along with all the anticipated extras: medium hive bodies, frames, foundation, hive top feeders, screened bottom boards, bee brush, and an extra bee veil for Rob. I already have a smokin’ hot smoker and my own bee veil thanks to a Christmas present from my sis! One of the first things
Did you know: Honey bees may forage up to 2-5 miles from the hive, and can fly at speeds up to 15 mph. En.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Beeinflightfromfront.jpg
Great article by one of my favorite science writers out there, Ed Yong (@edyong209): The Worst Places To Get Stung By A Bee: Nostril, Lip, Penis. Yep you read that right! Rob, please keep this in mind if you ever think inspecting the hives in the buff is a good idea. Some of my favorite quotes from Ed’s piece: “It started when a honeybee flew up Michael Smith’s shorts and stung him in the testicles.” “Some locations required the use of a
Did you know: A honey bee visits 50 to 100 flowers during a collection trip, and the average worker bee produces about 1/12th teaspoon of honey in her lifetime (~6 weeks). (Disclaimer, I know this is not actually a honey bee)
Did you know: that a hive of honey bees (~20-60,000 workers) will collectively fly about 90,000 miles, equivalent to three orbits around the earth, to collect just 1 kg of honey?
Here’s where I get all philosophical and explain why we decided to try our hand at raising honeybees… actually, we were going to get backyard chickens until we found out how much work they are and that we’d have to get up at the butt-crack of dawn every day to let them out of their coop. Not for us! Seriously, it comes down to several factors. I have always loved and respected nature and the outdoors, I enjoy gardening and otherwise
Until our bees actually arrive (April 19th, weather permitting!), I’ve been busy getting the equipment ready, preparing the hive site in the back yard, and reading up on everything I can get my hands on. Last week I attended my final class of the Orange County Beekeepers Association “Bee School”. It was a fantastic 10 week course, with a ton of information to absorb. One of the most interesting classes for me, was all about which plant species in central North Carolina are important for bees.
…roughly 6 pounds of fuzzy honey bees! Which translates into approximately 60,000 (give or take a few thousand) of the lovely ladies. Oh, and a few hundred dudes (i.e. drones), which are only good for one thing (wink, wink). So yes, in case you didn’t know, hubbie (Rob, Robert, Scott, Bert, or Bob-if you’re in Mexico) and I are getting bees this spring! I hope to post updates on our adventures (and misadventures) in beekeeping. Until then, bee good! (Disclaimer: