We just placed an order for bees, this will be our first year. I'm getting excited, but a little nervous as well.
Images like this terrify me.
And this last one is just wrong on so many levels! Is he naked under there?!?!?
Are you going to join along side our bee keeping adventure? Do you already have bees? Or maybe you are going to wait and see how it pans out for us. Leave a comment and let us know!
~marisa
I want bees!!! but like you those images freak me out! I will be following along to see how you go before I think seriously about having a hive of my own.
ReplyDeleteI've been a beekeeper for about 5 years now and I love it! I don't have my own land so I have my hives at a friends house where they have several acres with fruit trees that they want pollinated. When I harvest my honey each year, I give them some. It's a great trade off. I'm a single woman and I do all the work by myself so if I can do it, so you can you! You'll enjoy the bees immensely and learn so much from them. Can't wait to follow your bee adventures! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm really interested in bees, and have considered the possibility of having a hive. I can't wait to read about all your bee adventures! I think it will help us get a sense of what we'll face should be decide to have a hive.
ReplyDeleteMy eyes!! Oh, those images are gonna be hard to erase. I'm not sure I could do the bees, but my dad used to keep them and he loved it. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteAs much as I would like to copy EVERY THING you do, bees scare the heck out of me.
ReplyDeleteAnd they shouldn't since my license plate is DQUEENB!
(But, I think I should change my plates, since I've had them, I've been stung several times).
And it should be said, I went the first 28 years of my life without a sting.
When I see one now, I scream like a little school girl!
But, GOOD LUCK!
Honey IS DELICIOUS!
We hosted some hives this past year for someone and have decided to have our own because the guy that owns them is pretty stingy with the honey - each of the three hives produced about 50 lbs each and we only got 3 lbs from him.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, I'm in awe. You go girl!!!
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, sorry...I hope you aren't scarred for life.
Alison, I love the license plate, seems a little ironic.
Rachel, I agree, it does seem stingy.
Hazel and Meg, hopefully all goes well with our bee keeping and you guys can start next year.
I'm in awe of anyone who keeps their own hives. I'm just not that brave! I do look forward to hearing how things go. This should be a fascinating adventure. I love getting local honey when you know exactly where its come from. I really notice a difference with my allergies too!
ReplyDeleteMarisa, you are amazing! I've always been afraid of bees because of pictures like those that you posted!
ReplyDeleteNO MORE IMAGES LIKE THAT PLEASE!!! But I am exited to read about your adventure with bees. Please do something about bees and kids and how that all works together. We might give it a go in a few more years. I have a new human and two baby goats coming in not too long and I don't think you can bee keep with a newborn wrapped to you??? Maybe.
ReplyDeleteWe had two hives this past season and got the best honey you've ever tasted. We're adding three more hives for this year. The bees did wonders for the garden -- even the neighbors thanked us as their produce and flowers were extra beautiful this year thanks to the great pollinating job of our "girls". If you can find a bee class in your area, I'd highly suggest signing up. You'll learn so much. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteWow, I just found your blog from homestead revival. Can't wait to spend more time here. We don't have bee's but have ALWAYS wanted to get them...I am very excited to follow you on your bee keeping adventure:)
ReplyDeleteNo bees here. Well, a few wild bees but that's all. It seems that the neighbor's dog got stung by a bee and was alergic to the bee sting and almost died. So it wouldn't too neighborly to throw up a bee hive right across the fence. In urban living there are self imposed restrictions just to get along with neighors. I don't know if I would have bees even if I could but I do like honey and use it often.
ReplyDeleteHave a great bee keeping day.
Yes, bees are on the top of the list this year. Can't wait!
ReplyDelete~Andrea~
We got a couple hives (in the form of "nucs", or nucleus hives) this past April. So far, no-one's butt-naked covered in bees like those photos you posted...BUT we did have one incident that resulted in one person having a swollen red face with stings all over--and I personally had a massively swollen upper lip that made me look like the most ridiculous caricature of a duck you could imagine. At first, I couldn't stop laughing in the mirror, but then when it just kept getting bigger an bigger I started worrying. Now I think I should keep an epi pen around.
ReplyDeleteNow I've learned to be more calm around the bees and always have the right equipment, and no trouble since. We have gotten to have more than a small taste of honey yet, since we had to leave the honey for the young colonies to live off of for the winter.
I just found your blog recently and am enjoying looking around. Will stay tuned for you bee adventures, and maybe sometime I'll send you a photo of my upper lip saga or post it on my blog.
Happy beekeeping!
-Emmett
We have had bees for a little under a year. We always go out in bee suits, so we haven't had any of those experiences in the photos. We love them so much! It's so peaceful and calming to go out in the hives. You'll definitely enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteWe don't have bees,yet. We met a beekeeper a couple of years ago and he was so excited to share everything that he knew...it really stoked the fire of our interest. We have a tiny yard in the middle of the city so no hives here. Hopefully we'll be in a new house by this summer and we can get bees next year. Until then, we'll follow your adventure.
ReplyDeleteWe have 5 hives in out backyard. If you need any help - send an email. My sweet husband has taught a class before and loves helping people out. :)
ReplyDeleteHah, maybe I'm just crazy here but I've kinda always wanted to see what it was like being covered with bees! I've heard its warm, loud and heavy! I wouldn't want them on my face though...crawlin' all up in my nose and ears...arms would be cool, though!
ReplyDeleteMarisa,
ReplyDeleteI ordered my bees last week - they're arriving April 19th and I'm both excited and a bit hesitant. This is such a stretch for me since I was terrified of bees as a child. I already have a complete bee suit and I'll be covered head to toe when working with them! Did you order Italians? They're suppose to be fairly calm, so definitely the choice for me. I just need to get some security in place in case of bears and small predators - I'd better get on it; April will be here before you know it.
Kim, I've heard that local honey is supposed to help with allergies. So, it really is true! I'm glad it is helping.
ReplyDeleteBrookie, take care of the new human and maybe in a year or two you can add bees. I'm impressed you are getting goats the same time as the baby, you rock!
Andrea, yummy...I can't wait!
Amanda, welcome!
David, in our last place our neighbor was allergic to bees and the kids that lived behind us were terrified of bees, so we decided to be good neighbors over expanding our farm. I totally understand where you are coming from.
Maggie, I plan on having a full bee suit as well.
Angela, I hope you get into a new house! I'll send happy thoughts your way.
Jill, you are awesome, thanks for being willing to help us out. I may be emailing you.
Amy, yes we ordered Italians. I'm glad to know they are on the calm side. I'm curious how you protect the bees from predators.
Last year was our first year with bees. They did wonders for our garden, in fact that was the most produce I have gotten out of my garden ever. We started out with one hive, but didn't realize how fast they were growing and had half of the hive swarm. Talk about an amazing sight. Watching bees swarm is about the coolest thing ever. They are not harmful when swarming because they have nothing to protect. We were very lucky because we were home when the swarm happened and I was able to follow them until they landed on the neighbors tree. We now have two hives. We weren't able to get much honey because of the swarm, but the honey we got was excellent. The only sad thing was to watch them come home after someone had sprayed their yard with chemicals and to watch them stumble into their hives, sometimes not making it. Having bees is worth everything.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying TBH this spring!!
ReplyDeleteOh!! I so very much want to have bees. We are expecting our fourth child this spring, so I don't think it's going to be the right time for us, but I think it's definitely going to be the next step... I have even convinced my husband! We live in the city with a little over half an acre. We have 5 chickens and a small garden. I wish we could have a jersey cow back there too! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks but no thanks. I'd rather grow food than have bees crawl all over me.
ReplyDeleteWe did bees for the first time last season also. Loved having them and are getting more! They will do wonders for you and the honey...yum! I don't think you have to worry about those pictures though! Just don't run around nekked and you should be fine :)
ReplyDeleteI found you blog when googling "backyard turkeys". We've had chickens for years, and are ready to branch out a bit.
ReplyDeleteWe also have bees ordered. We're going to use a topbar style hive. They're supposed to be easier to use. We'll see. I'm excited for the honey, and for higher yields in the garden and from the fruit trees!
I'm very interested to follow and learn from this adventure! I grew up on a typical .20 acre suburban lot, and the next door neighbors had beehives along our fence, which seemed as natural as having a trampoline (which they also did, so were the gathering house for the neighborhood kids). Interesting combo, don't you think?
ReplyDeleteI got TONS of bees in the Russian sage plants in my parking strip. I think I deserve some of the honey ...
Hi Marissa, we will be joining you on the new adventure in beekeeping. I am building a few top bar hives after reading information from the Barefoot Beekeeper site. Honey will not be as abundant {vs. box stacking style hives} but their enviroment will be similar to their natural log seeking homes & it is said they appear healthier.
ReplyDeleteI reserved 2 groupings with a local beekeeper assoc. and will be picking them up the first week or two in April. So excited to have them join our little Stone cottage farm. Not to mention try out that vintage bee smoker a retired mentor gave me.
Bee keeping would be so fun. Keep us updated!
ReplyDeleteP.S. I just came upon your blog a couple of days ago and I just love it! I will be visiting often :)
chicksinarow.blogspot.com
Welcome Ruth!
ReplyDeleteUnusually unusual farmchick. I'm going to look into the top bar hives. Oh and the little stone cottage and the vintage bee smoker just sound so romantic!
I'm very excited to see how things work out for your family. Good luck and thanks for posting! :)
ReplyDelete