Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER 2
Becoming a Beekeeper
The decision to start my own beehives was an unbelievably liberating moment. With the
taste of Chinese honey still on my tongue, I felt courageous and empowered to be em-
barking on a new hobby as offbeat as beekeeping. Friends and family would certainly
think I had lost my mind, and my neighbors would think I was joking. But I didn't care.
I had tasted the divine honey, and I was hooked. My little red cottage on the outskirts of
Weston craved a romantic-style garden where my honeybees would thrive. My garden
would be a banquet of nectar and pollen, and my own honeybees would visit the fauvist
flowerbedstopollinatemyflowersandvegetables.Irelishedtheideaofworkingoutside
with the bees, having dirt under my fingernails, and bonding with nature. The seductive
smell of beeswax would always scent the yard. And, of course, there would be honey
everywhere, every day.
Before I dove into my new hobby completely, Mr. B urged me to attend a few bee
meetings of a local beekeepers club to learn more. “Bee clubs?” I thought. “Is there
reallysuchathing?”Indeed,thereis.Itturnsoutthatbeekeepers,likethebeestheykeep,
are extremely social creatures. The Back Yard Beekeepers Association is one of many
hobbyist beekeeping clubs in the state of Connecticut. There are more than 350 mem-
bers in the BYBA (as it is known locally), all of whom keep and love honeybees and,
of course, honey. Club members are dedicated to volunteering their time and expertise
to promote this ancient craft by offering many outstanding educational opportunities for
those who want to begin keeping honeybees or just wish learn more about these fascin-
ating creatures. I felt the club members' warmth and electrifying enthusiasm the minute
I walked into the church hall where the meeting was held.
I was greeted at the door by an adorable beekeeping couple selling tickets for their
monthly bee raffle. They were both wearing bee T-shirts; the gentleman wore a cap ad-
orned with dozens of bee pins, and bee earrings dangled from the woman's ears. Wel-
coming their newest attendee, they offered me flyers about the evening's events and in-
vited me to purchase a raffle ticket. The humble table beside them held the prize: an odd
piece of bee equipment. Although I had no idea what it was or how it worked, I paid for
a chance to win it. With my lucky ticket in hand, I entered into the hall.
Inside, the hall was buzzing with beekeepers. Along one side of the room was a table
with food, and another table was set up with the official beekeeping library and book
sale. There were books, movies, and pamphlets, and a librarian was signing out these
materials to interested borrowers. I walked the length of the table, gazing at the many
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