Me...the Beekeeper!

Do you remember a while back, I stopped by Uddermost Farm to buy some local honey? (Go down a couple posts.) I don't blame you if you don't remember - it's been quite some time since I wrote about it. Since then, it's been a busy few weeks. Amelia, who is an urban farmgirl, invited me back to see how they tend to their hives. Now, if you know me, you must know how excited I was to be part of checking the hives.

Amelia advised me to wear long pants and socks with my shoes. When I arrived at her little farm, I was suited up in beekeeper's gear. Her husband, Scott, also suited up and away we went. I was not afraid at all. Amelia had told me during my first visit that many of their worker bees had most likely been to our home to gather pollen and nectar, so I felt like I was meeting up with old friends. Bees travel within a five mile radius to gather and then return to their hives. Our home is well within that radius.

Worker bees not only gather, but also clean the hive and keep it cool by beating their wings. By the way, the 'buzz' of a honeybee is just it's wings beating so rapidly.

Uddermost Farmgirl and my hubby stayed a safe distance away while (we) went to work. Scott pryed the hives apart, beaking the propolis seal that had been placed by the bees. That's to keep the hive waterproof which is very important.

Me holding a honeycomb frame


Scott prying the hive apart

The light colored substance over the honey is the wax cap that the bees put over each honeycomb cell to protect the honey and their brood (eggs).
Bees are a very protective society. Scott told me that in the cold of
winter, balls of bees have been found deep within hives. The ball of bees surround

the queen bee to protect her from the cold. A queen bee would simply be a worker bee, if not for being fed and nourished with royal jelly.

Her job is to populate the hive with another queen bee and female workers.

Besides the queen and the workers, there are the drones.

Their only job is to mate with the queen bee and during that time, they die.

If, at any time, there is not enough food to support the hive,

the drones are forced out.

Scott firing up the smoker.

He then 'puffed' the smoke into the hive to calm the bees
so that he could go deeper into hives to check things out.

Something I learned is that when the smoke goes into the hives, the bees think the hive is in danger and try to save their honey by consuming all they can.

Amelia and Scott, thank you so much for being so generous in inviting me to share in this experience. It's something I've always wanted to do. You are both most kind.

I was invited back to Uddermost Farm again. This time to watch as the honey was extracted from the honeycomb. My next post will be about that.

Hope you will come back!

Do you know?
Honey is the ONLY food that includes all the substance
necessary to sustain life, including water.