Helping Hands Help Everyone

 We are so grateful for all of the help we have received from more experienced beekeepers. Those that answer questions on the beekeeper pages, those that take the time to make instructional videos on YouTube, maintain websites, present at seminars and conferences. It is great to have such a wealth of knowledge available to learn from.   

When we first started to think about raising bees, we read everything we could find online. Then we found videos on YouTube, including conferences and seminars and training classes that some people have made available online. There are many schools of thought on beekeeping, each offering something good to expand your knowledge. Like in any practice of any activity, there are die hard believers in one way or another, and then you have folks like us. We learn as much as we can of everything we can, and take what we like and leave the rest. We are open to everyone’s suggestions, and we choose what works best for us. This is what I suggest to people who ask me anything about bees. 

Some of our favorites include the Little Bits Honey Bees Joe May, Don The Fat Bee Man, Barnyard Bees, Michael Bush, Canadian Beekeeper, Walls Bee Man, JC Bees, Richard Noel, Beekeepers Workshop, and the University of Guelph Honeybee Research Center. At least those are the ones we have logged enough hours watching that we have likely surpassed the hours required for a bachelor’s degree lol. We live in the country, well, sort of; we are about 6 miles outside of St. Joseph, MO. Just far enough to not get cable or good internet service. Needless to say, most months we have been billed more for internet services because we have binge watched Bee videos. Only a true BEEK will think that is normal hahaha. This is only a partial list of people to watch and learn from, there are so many others that I can’t think of off the top of my head. Just Google and search on YouTube and find those you like and follow them. You can learn almost anything you need to learn online from these helpful folks. 

It is the sharing of time and knowledge that allows new beekeepers to grow in the ways of ” THE BEE”. We appreciate the fact that these folks share their knowledge, and in turn, we try to pay it forward. We are happy to answer question, explain how we do things, explain how to find information that is different, and even let you argue if you don’t like something or the way we do our beekeeping. What works for us may not work for you. There are many, and I mean many ways to achieve the same goal. There are also a variety of things that affect the challenges you’ll face keeping bees. Geography, weather, the purpose and goals you have in beekeeping, wildlife, local regulations or restrictions, local vegetation, industry, farmers, and neighbors just to name a few. No two beekeepers do things the exact same way. This, in my opinion, is fantastic. It offers options, and variety to combat problems, new ways to do things, different ideas on designs and everything else you can imagine. 

This is an exciting venture we have started, one that has crazy moments (boxes come to mind right now LOL), but also one that is wonderfully amazing. Watching new emerging bees join your hive, being mesmerized just holding a frame and watching how these complex creatures carry on their business with such efficiency that we should all be in Awe ! Learning about their life cycle, the natural procession in their development and duties, taking good bees and making more, finding queens, spotting drones, learning the difference in eggs, larvae, honey, pollen, and brood. Just all of it is amazing to me. There is so much to learn, and we will never be done. The joys, successes, mistakes, the buzz……It never gets dull. There is always something to learn, something to do, something to share. By sharing with each other, and being open to new ideas and different opinions, we will all be more successful in our beekeeping. 

So this post is basically a thank you to those who have shared their knowledge with us, and a hope of passing on the things we learn to others that are starting out. May we become be as patient, generous and helpful as those who came before us so that this wonderful and vital natural wonder of the world can thrive. 

Keep on Keep’n Beezy 🙂