Beekeeping

So the other day my mom and dad found some of my grandfather Joe Taylor's beekeeping equipment- his hat, gloves, and books for apiculture. Since this I've been talking to my parents some about my grandfather's beekeeping, including a story my dad told me about moving hives with Joe and having bees cover his arms, and I've been getting interested in apiculture as a hobby. I don't know if I'll really be able to pursue beekeeping as a hobby for a few years but I am reading about it and I hope I can someday.

Why keep bees? I have learned a few good answers to that question from my reading. Obviously the number one benefit is honey! Commercial apiculture uses a centrifuge to separate the honey from the comb- small beekeepers often don't separate the two (which is more traditional). Honey still in the comb (seen to the left) is called comb honey. The other big benefit is the pollination of neighboring flowers and plants. I think the biggest reason my granddad kept bees was to pollinate his extensive garden. Lastly, I think it would also be fun and interesting to work with and learn about bees. Bees are fascinating; for example, the queen bee releases different pheromones at different times that signal to the worker bees (her sisters) what to be doing during the course of the seasons.

I know there are restrictions on my ability to start a new hobby right now, namely money and time, but I think it is very interesting and I hope one day when we have a nice vegetable and herb garden I can keep bees to pollinate our plants and provide honey.