Liferoot Bees!
BY AMY LUPTON
Brad and I have always been fascinated with bees, their lifestyle, and the wonder and impact they have on our planet and food production.
Last fall we made the decision to become stewards of bees and host a home for them. But we didn’t take that decision lightly…and vowed to learn all we could about these amazing insects. So we read books and took courses, talked to seasoned beekeepers and watched Youtube videos galore.
When we brought the bees to the house in April… we realized (as we always do) the real education was the experience and going through it. We had 50,000 bees on the property, now what?
Even though we have been humbled by these creatures, they have kept us in check in making sure they know we are human and they are bees. :) We have been stung, even after I tried to embody the bee whisperer mentality (I am sure you can picture it..haha)… and they have gotten snippety with us when we tried to get into their hive at the wrong time.
But we have worked together, becoming detectives, figuring out these creatures, asking when we didn’t know the answer, sometimes getting as many different answers as people asked. We have learned to study them, picking up on their personality as a hive and what might make them moody.
We wanted to share a short photo collage of the start of our journey, as we are only a couple of months in. We plan on writing several blogs about these insects as we gain more knowledge and understanding. Also, in hopes of helping others to understand, although it’s a journey, and we will forever be learning about them.
Welcoming them in!
When the bees arrive, it takes them about two weeks to settle in. Some of the bees had to start fresh, so getting them comfortable as possible was a must. Another hive came with their frames started, so they oriented and then got to work.
Feeding them!
This was a main question we had as new bee stewards and asked almost everyone we knew who had bees. Many gave us a different answer, or sent us to a different resource. We read so many things it made us more confused. Not only to feed or not to feed, but how long and what to feed.
After a while, we realized and settled on what worked best for us and what we thought worked best for them. We will have blogs on this later, but here is our attempt at making biodynamic bee feed and water for them. We add chamomile, lemon, sea salt, and sugar. So far they have loved it and thrived.
Study and Watch Progress
We were frequently studying and watching for progress. What are their habits, there buzz pitches, their flight patterns? All of these things brought us our own unique answers, giving us more insight.
We love finding the queen (hint: see if you can find her on photo 3 with a yellow dot on her back), and watching them build comb.
We can't wait to keep sharing this journey with you, and hope it will gleam some beauty into your life.
