I have always admired people that have the ability and knowledge to be a beekeeper and have the privilege of looking into the lives of a very complex little creature. During my time at Bumble Beets Farm, I was taught how to care for bees and I loved every minute of it, except for the one minute that I got stung. But many people argue that you are not a true beekeeper until you have gotten stung, which is a badge of pride and also for safety. I now know that I am slightly allergic and should have an antihistamine on hand.
Honey bees are arguably one of the most organized creature on the planet. Each bee has a role in the hive and they all rely on each other. A beautiful but sad image is of a hive that has run out of food. All the bees will die at approximately the same time because they will evenly distribute the last bit of food so that everyone can eat something. That is a beautiful picture of community, where everyone is taken care of no matter the cost.
There are three types of bees: queens, drones and workers. There is only one queen per hive and she is technically their mother not their queen. Every bee in the hive is one of her young and she is the only one able to lay eggs. Due to her reproductive organs she is also the longest in size which makes her easy to distinguish from other bees. Next is the drones, which are the laziest of all the bees. Their only purpose in life is to mate with other queens. They will actually poop in the hive and eat food but not help with anything. But their sisters get their revenge in the fall when their useless butts get kicked out of the hive and not let back in. Last there are the workers which are all females and the hardest working ladies you will ever meet. They feed and tend to the queen, protect the hive, collect pollen and nectar, feed and care for the young, make wax and propolis, maintain proper hive temperatures and clean the hive. Without the workers there would be no hive.
Keeping bees is also a way to help improve the environment around us and get some tasty treats. Bees are amazing pollinators and we rely heavily on them for a lot of our commercial crops. At Bumble Beets Farm we saw bumper crops of tomatoes and squash, which was partially due to the bees pollinating the flowers. Another amazing product of beekeeping is honey. There is nothing like tasting fresh honey straight out of the hive. Beeswax can be used in cosmetics and made into amazing smelling candles. There are a few other products that you can get from bees like propolis and pollen, which have lots of health benefits.
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