I have been a hobby beekeeper for 8 years now. It has been a tremendously rewarding and frustrating past time. As many hobbyist can relate, I jumped into it headfirst. I was on fire for the bees. The initial investment was a lot of money at that time in my life. This investment included the purchase of 2 hives and all the supporting tools and implements. I remember feeling like the proverbial kid in a candy store. All the bells and whistles had to be accumulated. (Some of these items are still sitting unused. Live and learn). Along with the “proper” equipment, I felt the need to purchase any books that I came across that related to bees or beekeeping. My wife was a willing accomplice to my new obsession.
My equipment purchased and painted, it was time to acquire some packaged bees. Many of you can relate to the nervous energy and excitement of getting your first packages of bees. The guessing and second guessing of how best to get them out of those small cages and into their new home. All went much better than we expected and I only suffered one sting. My fault of course, turns out bees don’t like getting pinched. My nervousness turned into a parental sort of pride as I watched my new bees frantically beginning to build their new homes. As the weeks passed, my wife and I were diligent in monitoring the progress of our hives. Each change was dutifully noted as we immersed ourselves into the culture of honey bees. The bees were dedicated and as the combs begin to fill with various stages of brood, we watched with awe as the population of both hives began to explode.
As the summer passed, I settled into my new role as a beekeeper. (Although, I did discover that I am mildly allergic to bee stings. Funny how life works that way). Things progressed nicely and as autumn approached, it was time for harvest. Again, it was head first. Collection tank, bottles, caps, labels, you name it, I thought I had to have it, again my wife was willing to go along with the obsession. That first honey harvest was great. Finally some tangible evidence that all of the hard work and investment had paid off. The first collection was 112 pints. Not too bad for 2 hives that were started in the spring of that year by a couple of rookies. I can only say that it was simply the best honey I had ever tasted.
Heading into the winter (which is relatively mild here) there was a tremendous disappointment of not being able to “work” the hives as had become the habit over the previous months. Frequent visits to the bee yard on warmer days just to see if there was any activity became my outlet to satisfy the need to be involved. Seeing activity lead me to believe that all was well with the bees and we anxiously awaited spring.
Spring arrived and as the days warmed, it was time for our first hive inspections. Disappointment soon followed. The populations of both hives were greatly reduced. The bees were no longer happy and things were obviously falling apart. They were starving and it was too late to fix the problem. The build-up of population had quickly used up any remaining stores left over from the coldest months and the nectar flow was too slow to start. We started feeding but neither of the hives really recovered. Several weeks later a visit for inspection revealed that they were gone. No warning, no evidence of what had happened, they were simply gone. The disappointment was crushing. All of the time, all of the dollars spent, all of the curiosity, all of the stings, and they were gone.
That is the beginning of my journey as a beekeeper. I would like to think that we have learned our lesson and numerous times I have even sworn off ever having bees again. But the things that drew me to them in the beginning, keep drawing me back. The following years are filled with their own sets of challenges but then, as now, the journey continues.
Hopefully, this will provide another outlet for expressing my fascination with honey bees. Another goal is to provide a resource for beekeepers new and old to find answers and information concerning the problems and challenges of being a successful hobby beekeeper. Someone who is not necessarily looking to make a career of it but enjoys the bee yard (and hopes to harvest enough to at least give a few jars of honey as gifts to family and friends).