How did I enter into the adventure of beekeeping? I love plants and gardening, and grew up on a nursery. And I've always enjoyed watching the insects in my garden. Beekeeping has always sounded interesting but I never really thought about the process or had any plans to take up beekeeping.
Then my husband heard about this new product being developed for collecting honey. It was the Flow Hive system. He decided he and my 12 year old son should take up beekeeping and purchase a Flow Hive. This is where I think new technology inspires people to take up hobbies they otherwise would never have considered.
I decided to assist but let them manage their new hobby. They started their first hive in April 2015. They started with one package and one nuc. They realized that the beginner beekeeping course is offered early in the year, usually February, which they had already missed. So they started reading as much as possible and joined two different beekeeping associations.
I had been assisting with hive inspections, making lots of sugar water, and generally caring for the bees in whatever way I was needed. By the end of last summer both hives were thriving and looking like they were set for winter. Then we had a long warm fall and our strongest hive swarmed.
But we didn't know for some time. It''s not typical for a hive to swarm in the fall. I noticed low traffic in front of the hive so we opened it up. There were maybe 50 bees and the queen. And it was going to drop below freezing that night. We had no idea what to do. We didn't know if their were enough bees to keep the queen and brood warm.
That's when I became a beekeeper. I stayed up that night reading. I searched the internet for options. When we checked them the next day the queen and workers were all dead. They had gotten to cold. If this happened now I have some options but that evening I just had no idea how to save the bees.
I took the beginners beekeeping course this year and I collected my first swarm. My husband was very jealous since he wasn't available. I'm excited to watch my bees. They are working hard and bringing in lots of nectar. I'll update this blog on my successes and failures. And hopefully something I share will help others with their own beekeeping adventures.
Happy Beekeeping
Tammy
#TNbeekeeper
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