Beekeeping

Keeping bees may be the thing I’m most proud of on this homestead, besides what growing food provides for our children, beekeeping took that extra step and trust me when I say, it was a big one. Beekeeping is seen as such a rare thing in the city, little do they know there are dozens of backyard beekeepers just like us in just about every county in every city in the U.S. Many people don’t know that bees are imported livestock, they are NOT native to the Americas, although there are states down south working to keep their own culture of honey bees, that is not something that is available to anyone outside of that state unless it is in an education setting.

Before you actually purchase your first hive, it is highly recommended to take a bee class. I was fortunate enough to go with a friend of mine, and it was just a few counties away, just right over the river in Kentucky, which is another benefit of living in a tri-state area connected by a river. The class was fairly cheap, less than $50 for 4 hours, and I am so thankful I went. I was actually surprised to realize how up to par I was based on self education alone, but I did learn a lot more than I expected to, and an added bonus, connected with some really amazing local beekeepers. Even though I wasn’t looking for a mentor, most local beekeepers associations are very open to helping out with anything you may need, they are usually readily available and meet regularly, so that is definitely something else to look into, you can call your local county’s extension office to find that information.

I broke down these sub categories as I felt fitting, it’s not easy to round up all information about beekeeping in just a few pages, and like everything else on this website, these subjects will be upgraded and information added to as questions arise, and more experiences come and go. Honey Bees are quite possibly the most amazing flying insect on the planet, the way they have evolved to literally be a part of this existence, is awesome and beyond fascinating. Many humans are unaware that without honey bees we would not have the abundance of fruits and vegetables we have today. Bees are responsible for 1 out of every 3 bites of food we take. Whether local to you, or on the other side of the world, honey bees are busy pollinating and harvesting, which they spend their entire lives doing. They only live for about 45 days, and in the cold months shorter than that, the life cycle of a bee is really something out of this world, they literally work to live and live to work.

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