Throughout the years I have been tempted to try my hand at beekeeping.  I did my armchair research for longer than I would care to admit.  Two years ago I finally bit the bullet and ordered 4 lbs of Italian honeybees with their queen.  They were ready to pick up about mid April, so I had a lot of work to do to get ready.  You order bees in packages, which are basically a screened box.

This screened box is built as a wood box with open sides (covered with screen mesh) that is about the thickness, width and height of two large phone books.  We drove about an hour up north of us to an Apiary supply store.  Upon walking up to the front door we could hear the bees buzzing.  There was an errant bee or two zooming around outside.  Once we walked into the store, that number increased to hundreds.  Apparently, this was no big deal to the shopkeeper.  We picked up a beekeepers suit, hat, gloves and smoker.  Along with the bees I think this part of the hobby put me back about $250.With a sheepish grin, I offered to my wife that there were more expensive hobbies.  I think she was wondering about how the 1 hour trip home was going to go with ten thousand bees in the car.

Like, the butcher, the baker, fishmonger etc. Make some effort to get to know your local beekeepers. Ask them about their practices. If they medicate. How, where, and when they harvest their honey. What their definition of “organic” honey is. True organic honey, in my opinion is honey where the bees and hive are not medicated at all, ever. Sadly, the organic stamp of approval allows medicating and pesticide treatments during part of the year. My logic is that if the bees are active, then they are producing wax. That wax does have contact with the honey stores. There are beekeepers that are as passionate about organics as we are. If you find one, treat them like gold. They are precious, and rare.

Pete Skenandore

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