An Introduction

Beekeeping is a wonderful hobby. Basically, we have this little insect that we attempt to provide a home for and, in return, obtain a little pollination and honey. Unlike livestock, we never really tame the thing, nor do we have control over what it eats. We simply build the home and try to make its life as stress-free as possible.

As simple as this task may seem, there are many, many different, established ways to go about ‘keeping’ bees. Some ways involve lots of chemical treatments, some ways involve purchasing lots of bees and new queens, some ways involve using homemade hives. There are really too many ways to enumerate on a small blog such as this, so I will stick to my strategies here.

I try not to be negative about other folks’ strategies, as I truly do believe that there is value in pursuing many strategies until we get it right (and, with the failing bee populations of the past decade or two, we definitely have not gotten it right yet.) But, my strategies are driven by opinion (based on research) or, more commonly, my own experience. I have typically considered the other strategies and decided, based on various reasons, to pursue one for the time being. Regardless, I never push a new beekeeper towards my strategy or any other strategy. I believe with complete conviction that different strategies will prove successful in different areas and under different circumstances. My primary communication to a new beekeeper is ‘try it and see how it works.’

You will (very) frequently find folks who adamantly push their own strategy. If ever there was a reason not to try that strategy, this is one of them. My days as a stockbroker taught me one universal truth – folks with strong-held opinions are typically folks to watch, but not listen to. They will eventually learn lessons that you can pick up, but they never (and I mean never) provide real, valuable advice.

This series of pages documents the strategies that I am currently pursuing. As these strategies change, I will make changes to these pages.

Although I have not taken the following course, I am seriously considering it for my long term strategy:

http://bushfarms.com/beesfoursimplesteps.htm

Write a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.