We have been talking about this for a few years...and it was just talk. Apparently this year is the time to increase the Jones household. Their plush accommodations have been waiting for 2 months. Luckily it didn't take 9 months to bring these little babies home.
Yesterday was the introduction of honeybees. We ordered 3lbs of them from Ruhl Bee Supply in Gladstone. They were delayed by a day due to poor weather driving up from California but they finally made it. We even managed to get them into the hive without either one of us getting stung! That was even with not knowing really what we were doing and not using our veils properly...we both ended up with a couple in the veil. No big deal though. They are at their calmest right now. This fall when the want to protect their honey stores...that will be a different story.
And for the question everyone, who hasn't had bees themselves, is asking..."Why bees?" My flipant answer is always, "Why not!" But, let's be honest. There's more to it than that.
I do not harbor back to the land yearnings as my husband suspects. Nor do I want to turn our small city lot into GreenAcres which he also is very concerned about. No, neither of these things are the reason. But, I do have agrarian needs. I do worry about things like colony collapse and bee decline. I am wise enough to know (I hope) that my one hobby hive is not going to be enough to stop the devastation.
I do know though that I am setting a precedence for my children...the idea that nature is not to be afraid of...that nature is a nourishing part of our soul. Its important to us. Important to remember that we are not healthy when we try to shut nature out of our lives. We depend on nature and visa versa.
I look forward to learning about my Girls, their habits, and their needs. I look forward to teaching my child about nature and respect. Our bees will be just one little part of the natural world that can bring peace and interest into our lives. So when people ask, its "Why not?" and so much more.
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