Today was the first time I saw a honey bee outside. She was headbutting the screen on one of the windows in my sun room. She was foraging for sure. It was exciting to see something I've been studying all winter in action. When I caught the beekeeping bug it was sometime in January. So I haven't been able to experience much real nature with my new bee point of view. It is pretty cool to think about a huge system that works in nature, and has been for eons, that you knew almost nothing about just a few weeks ago.
So things are revving up. I have been listening to lots of pod casts and am on my third book. The bees are coming one week from today. I've got my boxes all set, I finished the hive stand and I have conformation from Phil the guy over on Acorn Hill. This week is spring break for me and I plan on placing the hive stand out in the field a few days before the install to get approval about its location from Phil.
I am pumped. So I thought maybe I will outline some of the decisions I've made about how I plan on keeping my bees. It seems the more I research the more I find grey areas. There aren't too many topics of discussion in the bee world that have a clear answer to it. Most things are answered, "Well... it depends." So I plan on keeping an open mind and trying my best to make decisions that will be best for me and my bees. As well as keep a record of those kinds of decision so I know what works and what doesn't. When making choices I will keep a few tenets in mind as a guide:
1- I will leave the bees alone as much as possible.
2- I will do my best to avoid using chemicals, only in emergencies not as a preventative.
3- I will make decisions that are good for the hive not good for my honey yield.
4- Have fun and bee passionate, this a hobby not a job.
Now these things might change. I mean I'm writing this without a lick of actual beekeeping experience. With the exception of number 4 that's a given. Anyway I have to start somewhere, this seems like a pretty awesome place.
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