Even though it was a life long dream to have bees in my life , I didn't start till last year at the tender age of 54 . I took a course with a local beekeeper , who loves everything bees , even though she is highly allergic to their sting . Years ago I had assisted a friend inspect his hive , no suits , just a little smoke , everything went fine. So I was confident I would be able to handle my bees without the visceral angst that so many people seem to suffer from. I am fortunate that bee stings bother me very little , maybe itchy, if at all , for five or ten minutes... As soon as I cracked the lid to the hive that was to provide my nuc i fell under their spell . No veil , no gloves , just a long sleeved shirt and a little smoke . It was awesome , the world around me melted away , all I heard was the humming buzzing song of busy bees. They couldn't care less that I was muscling in on their space , they just went about their business . From that moment on , I looked forward to interacting with them , for me , it is a "spiritual" time. When I am working in the hive a natural calm seems to set in , my heart beat slows , all my daily worries just buzz away . Its fascinating to discover the hives different moods , depending on weather conditions and other influences. I can't wait till I can open up the hive again and see how well they got through their first winter . I find my most peacefull moments come when I am with my bees, they are my escape , my zen time. Oh and they make pretty good honey too.
