Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER 3
Apiology: The Study of Bees
Knowing that the hive inspection awaited me on Saturday, I don't know how I managed
to get through the rest of the workweek after that first meeting of the Back Yard Bee-
keepers.Despiteallthecreativefreedommyjobofferedme,therepetitive designingand
sourcing of products was beginning to lose its charm. My affection for honeybees and
the vast world of wisdom they bestowed upon me was enticing. It occurred to me that I
was a worker bee, but longed to be the queen.
Saturday finally arrived, and I woke early with anticipation. Since I did not have the
traditional protective beekeeper's jacket and veil yet, I had been advised to wear long
sleeves and light colors. Bees tolerate light colors, which have the added advantage of
keeping you cool while working under a hot sun. So, dressed in a long-sleeved white T-
shirt, jeans, and my familiar black cowboy boots, Ihopped into my Jeep and drove a few
towns over to the apiary that was hosting the inspection.
The apiary was no more than twenty-five minutes away from my house and located
somewhat off the beaten path, away from other homes. At eleven o'clock sharp I arrived
at the end of a winding dirt road to find beekeepers, in full costume and with hive tools
andsmokersinhand,clusteredtoonesideofanivy-coveredstonewall.Thisplacewasa
pollinator's paradise, and crocuses, daffodils, and snowdrops bloomed in every direction
as far as the eye could see. The gardens were exploding with blossoms. The beekeepers
greeted me, and the host, named Billy, handed me a beekeeper's veil and hive tool: a
piece of metal equipment that looks like a small crowbar. Billy told the group, “If you
go to your apiary without your hive tool and smoker, go back and get them. There's no
sense in even trying to open your hive without them.” That was good old-fashioned bee-
keeping experience talking. He then led the group along the old stone wall and through
an apple orchard—a favorite nectar-gathering spot, he said, for his apiary's honeybees.
As we walked, he showed us the black locust and tulip trees that his bees liked in addi-
tion to the apple blossoms.
The Scientific Classification of a Honeybee
Kingdom
: Animalia
Phylum
: Arthropoda
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