When we moved to Skywater Farm, we brought our bees with us. We carefully stacked them into the truck by the light of the moon, set them in their new home, and hoped that they wouldn’t notice in the morning.
That was three years ago, and we still have bees. We lost one colony in 2015, and happily discovered in the spring of 2016 that a wild swarm had taken residence in their place.
Beekeeping is a complicated process, and there are many factors in our world that make bee survival a difficult thing. We have opted to take care of the bees instead of taking honey, and have had our hives survive as a result.
Our honeybees are of the Italian variety, and you can identify them by their sleek streamlined shape and stylish striped outfits. Ciao, bella! We are also home to blue orchard bees that winter in handmade houses under our back porch. Both varieties are friendly, pleasantly buzzing around us as we work and play.
Want to keep track of what’s buzzing at our place? Read about it through the year in the Bees part of my blog HERE.
