Well, as of this past weekend I have been a beekeeper for 1 year. It has been a fun, educational, and sweet ;) experience so far. I managed to get 40 pounds of honey from my 2 hives during what the locals are calling an 'off' year for bees, and get them through their first winter just fine. I have made my share of mistakes, but my bees seem to be able to keep going in spite of me. :)
As a result of my experiences, at least 3 other friend/neighbor families have started, or about to start, keeping bees themselves. (I just hope we don't oversaturate the residential neighborhood with too many bees.)
Aside from helping others get started, this year I joined my state and local beekeeping associations, I am working on an observation hive, I am in the middle of a trapping removal, and I got (my second) swarm call this weekend. (The swarm will probably go to one of the friends mentioned above since 2 hives plus the ob hive is about all I have room for on my property.) Next year I expect that I will be looking for somewhere to put more hives. :)
Some photos of my bee adventures can be seen here:
www .flickr.com/photos/29258782@N00/sets/72057594137071464/
(Feel free to laugh at some of my obvious mistakes.)
I just wanted to say Thank You to all who contribute, moderate, and host this forum. Your willingness to share your knowledge and experience has been invaluable!
Topic: First Anniversary as a beekeeper - Thanks! (Read 1217 times)