Living with Bees
Living with Bees
When my husband and I were creating our business plan for Luckey Bee I was very excited about creating a business with the safety of the bees as the main focus. As we were working out the details of the business, the reality of having bee hives on my property, and having them as a part of the fabric of our family did make me a little worried. I had not had any experience with bees up to now, and had no idea what to expect. Here are five of the biggest surprises I have experienced having hives on my property. This is entirely from my experience, and is in no way a how-to guide for raising bees.
- Won’t the bees be EVERYWHERE and make being outside difficult? I have been pleasantly surprised that at any time having just one to several hives I have barely noticed the bees on a daily basis. When they first settle in they are a flurry of activity as they set up residence, but after that they settle in to the everyday routine and just go in and out of their hive to work for their family much as we do. They really don’t pay much attention to us and are around the flowering bushes and their hive.
- When we have kids over to play won’t they bother the bees? Our children are part of our business and have a healthy respect for the bees. When kids are over to play they are instructed to watch from afar and not to bother the bees. Most kids have been afraid of them for a bit, but will watch them for awhile, and move on and completely forget about them.
- What about our dogs? I have heard so many stories about dogs being hurt and killed by bees. Unlike the kids, my dogs are not cautious about much, so I was worried about their safety. We have been able to keep the hives separate than our dogs area. We will continue to do that, and we are careful about the dogs being near the hives, but they do tend to bark, and be rowdy on occasion. We have not had the bees show any interest in what is going on.
- Will neighbors be afraid of the bees? It is always funny to me how much our lives revolve around the bees, but no one is really very aware of them. We have told our neighbors and explain what we do, and we find most people are very receptive to it and interested. We explain how they directly benefit from the bees as well. After a bit, most people completely forget about the hives. When we have had people visit, they have been completely unaware at all. That is how our lives and the bees lives blend together.
- What has been most surprising is how much I enjoy, and love our bees. The more I have learned about these complex creatures, the more endeared I am to them. I feel blessed to share my living space with these amazing bees that are just as interested in caring for their family, and keeping each other safe as we are.
