Still my favorite,
I (Rob) was told long ago that “Once a beekeeper, always a beekeeper.” She was not wrong, this will be my 20th year! The smell, the contented humming of flying bees, and the warm sunshine are magical.
I have a chair that I pull out of the workshop so that I can sit by these girls and relax. No better way of letting the farm into my soul!
We have a few hives of Italian bees here these days. They make a wonderful surplus of the liquid gold each year, which we sell.
We are sure to leave them enough to over-winter on though. We think it is wrong to take everything that they have worked so hard to produce and give them only a sugar syrup in return. Our livestock’s well-being and nutrition is everything to us and these folk are no exception.
Food for thought: The pollen that is present in the honey often benefits those of you who suffer from Hay Fever. But only if you eat your local honey!