Mary Boyle is an adventurous woman—so, no surprise—she dreamed of becoming a beekeeper. It began about seven years ago, when her husband gave her a bee-keeping suit for her birthday. She took a class, found a mentor, and adopted a queen and a few hardworking bees. Starting with a plastic honeycomb, the bees did the rest: the queen laid eggs, the nurses cared for the young, the foragers collected nectar, and about 10 guards—known as ‘drones’ (and the only males allowed) buzzed around the entrance, acting very dangerous! Busy bees live only about 21 days, so are constantly repopulating. After two or three years, when the queen dies, her successor is fed ‘royal jelly’ and, magically, becomes queen.
Each fall, Mary dresses up in her birthday suit (so to speak) and, very carefully, collects extra honey from the upper chamber, leaving enough for the bees to live on during winter. “How can we help the bees? I asked. “Just plant flowers!” Mary answered. Her busy bees agree.
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Mary,
I remember my grandfathers old beekeeping suit. He didn’t keep them for honey but pollination of his apple orchards. I’m surprised, at 10, that I didn’t ask about the honey. What do you do with the honey?
What a wonderful hobby and so good for the environment. We need more urban bee keepers and lots of flower gardens. Thank you Mary!
Thank you for checking in, Ruth. Yes–I’ve noticed some real bees and butterflies in my garden this year! Love to see them!
That is so awesome. I wouldn’t be able to do that. My brother has been a bee keeper for years.
You go girl.
Thank you, Pat. It’s really quite fun – and the bees let me know if they’re at all bothered. They will buzz more loudly, or do a “keep back” dance by wiggling their bottoms in the air, or “bump” me by flying into me to warn me to stay back. And if I don’t listen to them, yes, they will sting!