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Busy Busy Bees

March 26th, 2009

Mr Chiots and I have been busy busy bees the last couple days. I’ve been spending every waking warm sunny hour out in the gardens preparing a new garden bed (photos to come on that next week) and in the dark hours of the day I’ve been getting my office work finished. We’ve also been busy attending local bee club meetings (we’re joining 2 local clubs) and reading books on beekeeping.
bees-on-milkweed
We’re super excited about the coming of our bees on April 7, but we’re a bit nervous as well. Last night at a club meeting we had a great discussion with a very knowledgeable beekeeper that really helped out. I can’t wait to see how it all goes this summer, I’m glad you all will be along for the ride. Perhaps some of you will decide to take the plunge next year.
bee-on-echinacea
What do you think, would you ever keep bees?

18 Comments to “Busy Busy Bees”
  1. Julia on March 26, 2009 at 7:42 am

    Your photos are fantastic! Beautiful.

    Julia’s last blog post.. Garden Updates – First Day of Spring

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  2. ryan lewis on March 26, 2009 at 8:01 am

    Great post!

    I would love to keep bees but don’t have the room at present. Hopefully in my next garden I will!

    ryan lewis’s last blog post.. The ultimate recycling project

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    • Susy on March 26, 2009 at 10:29 am

      Actually you only need enough room to situate the actual hive. There are many people that keep bees that only have small balconies.

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  3. Bridgett on March 26, 2009 at 8:59 am

    I would love to keep bees and I think that might be something we do next year. I am anxious to see how it goes for you. I have a friend who keeps bees and we belong to a German Club/Society where one of the members is teaching classes on beekeeping (still trying to figure out if I can actually do one more thing this spring!).

    Bridgett’s last blog post.. Silicone Pan and Blonde Brownies

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    • Susy on March 26, 2009 at 6:03 pm

      That’s exciting. We’ve been reading tons of books trying to figure out what we’re doing before we actually get our bees.

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  4. Shreela on March 26, 2009 at 12:53 pm

    There’s a place in our backyard that would only get lawn mower noises when we mowed, and when the field-neighbors mowed (which is about 4-6 weeks during spring and summer, and it’s with a tractor). It’s a shaded area that has easy access to sunny areas close nearby, and there’s two other fields next to our neighboring field that aren’t mowed nearly as often, so there’d be plenty of vegetation (including blackberries and a mulberry tree).

    So, what do they say about lawn mowers and bees?

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    • Susy on March 26, 2009 at 2:04 pm

      I don’t think the bees mind the mowing noise, they just don’t like it when you mow and throw the grass clippings in the directions of the front of the hive.

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      • warren on March 27, 2009 at 8:31 am

        We mow around ours of course. Mowers don’t seem to be a problem…but weed whackers are a different story, although that depends too…some hives are worse than others. Anyhow, we get around that by not using a weed whacker any more. We have a reel mower and a weed whip and the bees don’t mind them at all!

        warren’s last blog post.. 49 things – give or take

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  5. Dave on March 26, 2009 at 12:54 pm

    If I had more space I might consider a bee hive, but I don’t think my wife would like it. Bees are harmless for the most part but she’s afraid of the stings. We have quite a few bees here anyway, I don’t treat the grass for weeds so we have plenty of clover, they sure like that!

    Dave’s last blog post.. The Birdbath Garden: March Update

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  6. ChristyACB on March 26, 2009 at 2:19 pm

    I’d love to keep bees but my home insurance would get cancelled. ::sigh:: Apparently, the liability in case someone got stung who was allergic is just too high for this city density. What a load of peupeu! As it is now, I just do all that I can to try to attract every bee in sniffing distance :)

    ChristyACB’s last blog post.. My Favorite Needlework Book and An Old Project Found

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  7. Kelly on March 26, 2009 at 3:03 pm

    Oh, I would LOVE to keep bees, and I can’t wait to follow along with you this year.

    Unfortunately, in my town it’s illegal to keep bees. Stupid, eh? I am however thinking about getting a cleverly disguised mason bee house (because it looks like a birdhouse, so it wouldn’t be blatantly obvious to anybody walking by what’s living there).

    Kelly’s last blog post.. The Side Garden (Before & After)

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    • Susy on March 26, 2009 at 6:04 pm

      Yeah, it’s illegal in my dad’s town as well. That’s why we got our hive and all the equipment for free. There are people that have ways of hiking hives inside where they’re illegal.

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  8. edh on March 26, 2009 at 4:42 pm

    We have two or three hives (won’t know how many made it through the winter for a couple more weeks, though it looks like we lost one). We love it, both for the honey and the effect on the gardens. We’ve really noticed their absence in the years we haven’t had hives.

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  9. Dan on March 26, 2009 at 5:19 pm

    I would keep bee’s if I wasn’t in the city. I could never be the one to harvest the honey combo’s though, I would totally freak out and run.

    Dan’s last blog post.. Mister Early Tomato Post

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  10. Holley on March 26, 2009 at 5:54 pm

    YES!! There are so many things you can do with honey! Plus all the benefits to your garden. Can’t wait to hear more!

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  11. Karen on March 26, 2009 at 8:32 pm

    My mom is super phobic about stinging insects (she has disturbed a few hornets’ nests by accident while gardening and was stung repeatedly), so I probably won’t be taking up beekeeping anytime soon. But mason bees (non-stinging), maybe, if I could make myself wash them to deal with their mites every year. Great photos, good luck with your hive!

    Karen’s last blog post.. Spring on My Street

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  12. inadvertent farmer on March 26, 2009 at 10:42 pm

    Our bees are out and about full force right now enjoying the early spring blooms…good luck with yours! Kim

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  13. Laura on March 27, 2009 at 1:26 am

    Ours arrive on April 15th. We’re painting the boxes this weekend. So excited!

    Laura’s last blog post.. {085:365} Signs of Life

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About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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