We (mostly Nancy) are thinking about getting a couple beehives next spring. We’ve dangled that possibility out there a couple times, then came back to reality that bees take a lot of TLC.
But this time, we’re serious. Even stopped by Siller Pollinator Company in Charlottesville to ask questions and check things out. I think we’re going to do it.
The bee people said it may be easier to start out with two hives because you can swap things around if you run into trouble. They gave us several tips on how to get started and we will be attending classes on raising bees.
But we’re not in it for the honey. We’re in it because we are both fascinated with honeybees.
Nancy tries to keep as many pollinator-attracting plants and flowers in our yard as possible. We have a huge stand of mountain mint and see as many as 50 nectar-loving bees and insects in there at a time. We have also noticed a number of honeybees around our goldfish pond, getting water from the edges. Though they can’t swim, they definitely need the water. We both have small gardens and know the value of pollinators, and we also know that honeybees are struggling for survival in many areas.
We once had a swarm of bees in our backyard. They just showed up, packed in a tight ball. That would have been perfect – an instant hive – but we weren’t prepared and they went away. I know that many beekeepers would delight in finding a swarm to transport to their hives.
To me, bees clearly disprove Darwin’s theory of evolution. For there to be a hive of bees, there are many moving parts, and every part has to be present at exactly the same time or there would be no bees. Bees were Created. They did not evolve.
I will be writing more and more about these amazing creatures as Nancy and I “evolve” into beekeepers.
