Beekeeping

When my Mother found out I wanted to keep bees, she was shocked. She said, "I cant believe this is the same girl that ducks and hides when ever a winged creatures comes around. The same girl that would swat at the air and yell, is it a bee?" It is true, I have always been afraid of bees, and let me tell you why. One of my earliest childhood memories started on a warm summer day in my hometown of Yakima. I had just finished a long day at the public pool when I saw my mom pull up in the parking lot. I lit out across the grassy field to her, when I was suddenly stopped short by what felt like a needle going into my foot. Being a young child, I instantly sat down to see what I had stepped on. Yep, you guessed, it..I got the same needle feeling in my ass. I remember sitting in that field feeling totally stranded, positive that if I moved again, I would surely step on more. I would like to say that mom was super sweet and supportive, telling me she was so sorry this had happened to me. But, If I know my mom she was probably laughing her ass off, I blocked that part of the memory out. This was my first encounter with a honey bee, and I had always hoped for it to be my last.

I have always been the kind of girl that liked to face her fears. I think its because I don't like to have things that limit my experiences. I also don't do well with "what ifs". Even if it turns out to be a mistake, at least I can learn from those. But "what ifs", those things can haunt you forever. Heights has always been a big one for me. I get that prickly feeling on the back of my neck and sometimes even get a little light headed. In some cases I have had the overwhelming urge to jump..I know, crazy right. So when I found myself cleaning a 14th floor penthouse condo with roof access, there was only one thing to do. I walked out on the ledge..maybe 2 feet wide. I stood there and imagined what it would be like to fall and when a strong wind came up, I actually felt myself being sucked away from the building. It was terrifying, invigorating, and stupid? Yeah, probably. But, I can tell you this, I don't sit here today and wonder what it would have been like to stand out on that ledge.

When I first heard that Seattle Tilth was having beekeeping classes I was intrigued. Being a gardener I'm always looking for healthy Organic ways to improve upon my gardens productivity and over all health. I thought, what the hell, theres no harm in taking a class. I signed Alex and I up for the class. Alex was a little hesitant, turns out there was a bee encounter in his past also. The class was taught by a local Seattle beekeeper, Corky. I'm not sure if it was his love of the subject, or my love of peoples reaction when I told them I took a beekeeping class, what ever it was, we signed up for the second beekeeping class. We were able to put in our order for our "package" of bees, and purchase our equipment from Corky also. This man literally gets an ear to ear smile on his face when he talks about bees. His love for these magnificent creatures is contagious.

I will admit it was a little Intimidating when 3-4 thousand bees showed up in this little box. And I had to get them from in there, to in their new home. At this point the bees are actually in "swarm" mode, so they have no interest in stinging me. There was a whole process involved, I will say it went off without a hitch.

I got my bees mid April of last year. We have gone through one whole year together. I watched the bees forage in my yard all summer. My mom talks about sitting and watching her chickens for hours in the summer, We are the same with our bees. We also have mason bees and bumble bees in our yard. I just cant get enough of these little furry guys. Every ones first question is, have you been stung? Yes, of course I have, but its kind of like child birth, once its over, you forget the pain. When a honey bee stings you, it is its last resort. Chances are they have given you plenty of warning, and are sacrificing their own lives to try and save the rest of the hive. Quite Noble little creatures huh? They do get more aggressive in late fall when they are protecting their winter honey store, but hey, who can blame them right?

I did my first mini hive inspection this morning. I still get the shaky hands and nervous stomach even thinking about going out there and interacting with them, I guess that's why I like it. The good news is, they lived through the winter and looks like they still have enough honey stored up to get them through till the nectar really starts to flow around here. There is a tiny sun break as I sit here, watching my bees coming and going from the hive with all of the precision of a well staffed airport. When the sun is fully out, my back yard is glowing with tiny glints of gold darting to and fro. It is simply a sight to behold. Beekeepers have a very important job these days. With bees vanishing and no one being able to figure out why, its the backyard beekeepers bringing the numbers back up, and keeping our food supplies pollinated. The next time you are purchasing honey, think about buying it local. Either by visiting a beekeeper in your area or going to your local farmers market. Support your local beekeeper!