Beegin at the Beegining

Ever get an idea that just won't go away? One thought that keeps teasing at you?
I would venture to say that it's an inkling of your future, even perhaps a premonition of sorts.
There is always a choice to say yay or nay, but I believe it is a portent of what "may be" or "could be" seen as Your Mission "Should you choose to accept it!"
(Don't worry this blog will not self destruct in 10 seconds!)
For me there has been a constant buzzing in the back of my mind that has been drawing me forward into a new adventure; Bee Keeping.
It's a natural adjunct to garden keeping, as it were, though some apiarists would say it's more like 'Bee Having'! Since the little creatures are quite indifferent to the human being's intervention into their world, no matter how utterly dependent we are upon them for pollination.

Have you ever tried to contain a bee of any breed, brand or flavor?
They won't sit, roll over or beg! Within the bee keeping world it is said those who keep bees are 'chosen' to do so. You really must love caring for creatures who will sting if provoked, however it is amazing how truly gentle and intelligent is the Little Honey Bee!

Nearly as early as history was being recorded by man there was a noted fascination with the honey bee. Their unique and mysterious activity led to some rather bizarre misinterpretations of their activity, it wasn't until the late 16th Century that students of nature, professional or otherwise, arrived at an understanding of how the honey bee mated. The myths around this included some peculiar ideas such as the scented breath of the drone (male) bees inseminated the tiny eggs while at rest in their hexagonal waxen beds. However, the truth of the matter continues to fascinate until today.

One truly amazing belief which  persisted well into the early 19th Century was the idea that bees were able to be 'created' from the carcass of a dead oxen! Yep, a dead, decaying cow, if buried in just the right way, would give forth a swarm of bees.
(Uh, yeah, what you peeps been smokin'?)

There are many, and I may say, more reasonable ancient customs in which the ability to supply honey is equated with wealth and allowed the ancient Grecian legal society endless grief in attempting to resolve ownership of a hive. In India part of the wedding vows included a promise to supply honey!

Honey is equated with sensuality, pleasure and decadence!  The Biblical imagery of love depicted in King Solomon's song to his beloved often reference the sweetness of honey. Cupid's arrows were said to 'sting like a bee' in many traditional images cupid is shown with either a Bee Skep (hive) and/or suffering from bee stings himself.

Can you imagine if you'd never tasted anything sweeter then say an apple, to experience the wild pleasure of honey's thick golden ecstasy would be a life changing revelation. I feel certain it wouldn't take long for you to wish you too could own such a resource!

Well, here is the really crazy part; YOU CAN!

So the questions begs; Why don't you?

Is it that sense of mystique or possibly fear stopping you dead in your tracks?
Certainly access, lack of space, education or the that lack thereof, all can be asserted as reasonable arguments as to why bee keeping is so foreign to most citizens today, even those of us who are devoted to gardening and growing our own foods!
I am here to challenge each of you to stop and consider; Why don't I keep bees?

In my next few blog posts I will be sharing exactly Why you Should Keep Bees!

The good news is that there are a number of excellent resources available online and in a classroom format that can aid you in correcting this oversight. The libraries are chock full of books on the elusive and seductive bee, be it paperback or Kindle, Amazon can fill that void!

So let's get crackin'!

Because at this juncture in our history our Bee Friends really need a helping hand!

Every garden should include at least one hive; Who will join me?

 "As it goes with the bees so it goes with thee!"