fountain is upon us and it ’s finally clip to put the wintertime of learnedness , reading and studying into pattern . If you ’ve ordered nucleus settlement ( “ nucs ” ) or software package of bee to start your apiary , you ’ll hear from you bee supplier soon . It ’s an exciting time to be a beekeeper . If you ’ve done your due diligence , you ’ve read a few books , brushed up on bee demeanour and even attended a grade on keeping bees — whether it lasted a twenty-four hours or several weeks . But do you have all the tools you need ?
Here are a few things the rule book do n’t tell you :
1. Your Bees Will Die
plain it off on a right note , proper ? This was a hard trueness for me to learn . I thought if I worked hard enough , tried my good and knew everything there was to know about bees that they were never perish . I ’d find a loophole and keep every hive alive as long as I was a beekeeper . That extended to every hive inspection , down to the careful way I manipulate frames so as to not smart the bee .
The reality of keepinganylivestock animal ( or insect ): dying is a part of life . Period . This is in two ways straight when working with a critically threaten species , such as the Apis mellifera . But I ’m here to tell you : Do n’t get discouraged and do n’t give up . Make every loss your fuel for doing better next time . Let it trip your mania to poke out your beekeeping practice outside of the apiary and into your greater community . Become an advocate for dear as well as native bees . oppose against pesticide use in your area . Educate others about the danger of pesticide and chemical to our pollinators .
2. You Will Get Stung
Are you ready for this ? It smart ! But getting stung is like falling off a horse : It ’s a rightfulness of passing , and it ’s inevitable if you stick with the hobbyhorse long enough . This is the best eruditeness opportunity for young apiculturist . When the shock of the hustle wears off , look back at the situation and see what happened : What were you doing right before you were sting ? Were you listening to the bees and pay attention to their warning signs ? We bang research - establish evidence , but what was your gut telling you at the meter you were stung ? Are you listening to the bees with your inherent aptitude and energy , as much as your ears ? Because bees transmit through pheromones and vim ; they respond to you in kind whether you ’re calm or overturned , wearisome or hurried . Be mindful of your natural action and you ’ll be a good beekeeper for it .
3. Be Prepared for the Unexpected
Your bees will throw off surprises at you every day . Local beekeeper in my county ’s guild public lecture about new things they study every year , even if they ’ve been at it for more than three tenner . Conventional bee wisdom tells us that only one queen can ever fill and live in a hive — and then a confrere of mine had a thriving hive with two actively repose queens . Be prepared to learn something novel every yr ; keep your mind open and your expectations elastic .
