A Year in the Apiary
My garden is certified by the National Wildlife Federation as an urban wildlife habitat, and by the Pollinator Partnership as a “Bee Friendly Farming Garden”.
The property is graced by many old grove trees, including a Seville orange that is traditionally used to make marmalade. That tree helped me win gold and silver awards in the “homemade” category at the Marmalade Festival in the U.K., but that’s another story.
In the beginning, I became a beekeeper to help pollinate my trees. Then, I fell in love with bees.
“Wait, wait, wait! That’s not how it happened!”
Okay, okay. The truth is that I had thought vaguely about doing something to improve pollination, but it had more to do with bats and bananas. The idea to become a beekeeper never crossed my mind. In fact, I had decided not to install an owl house because I was afraid that a swarm of killer bees would find it first and set up shop in my yard.
Then I came across the original Flow Hive video and stopped in my tracks — just like the time when I was driving down the street and saw the marquee for “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes”.
What? SCREECH!!
It was a brake-slamming, life-altering moment.
Before I knew it, I was buying books about beekeeping, exploring beekeeping forums, and taking online courses. Within a few months I had my beekeeping license and zoning permit, made some new friends, and had ordered a Flow Hive — but not necessarily in that order.
Then there was all the gear. I bought so much stuff that all the delivery guys know me. But I work in the ecommerce industry and can chalk it up to research — at least that’s my excuse.
A Year in the Apiary is a collection of true-life stories about my first year as a backyard beekeeper. I am not an expert by any means, but I will share what I learn along the way, including the rewards and challenges that are part of a beekeeper’s journey.
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Excited to witness your unique journey! I too am a backyard beekeeper learning the ropes and sharing along the way. All my best.-
Barbaruby