Introduction

Honestly, beekeeping is just one of those things that most people know nothing about.  Until about six months ago, I was one of those people.  Honeybees, bumblebees, sweat bees, wasps, they're all the same thing, right?  And Bee hives, are grey, funnel-conned shaped structures, like in Winnie the Pooh, right?  Well absolutely not; they couldn't make it that easy for us.  I'll get into the fine details later.  

Anyway, my beekeeping journey first started while talking to a friend and fellow coworker.  She, had not so long ago started her first beehive.  She constantly posted pictures, brought in honey, and occasionally came into work with swollen fingers. Any normal person would be slightly curious.  So me, always being nosy, I asked her, "Friend, why the swollen fingers?"  Her answer, "My bees did this to me."  And from that answer, my brain exploded.  I instantly had so many questions.  Before this point, I had never even imagined the idea that someone I knew kept bees.  I mean seriously, I thought beekeeping was one of those scientific jobs, that only happened in places like Monsanto or in documented movies.  I was clearly wrong.  So question after question led to quite the lengthy conversation; I almost forgot we were working.  Nonetheless, I became quite interested and extremely intrigued.  

Several months had passed since my first conversation about bees.  Time brings us to November, Thanksgiving to be exact.  My family usually gathers at one or many houses around the holidays and eats in excessive amounts, like most American families.  Most family gatherings, bring relatives from out of town, specifically, my Aunt and Uncle who live in Jacksonville, Florida.  Both have served their time in the U.S. Navy, and both are now retired officers, which happens to give them plenty of time to pick up new hobbies.  I bet you can see where this story is going....  So sure enough, my Aunt also keeps honeybees!  As you can imagine, I was ecstatic! I talked with her and questioned her for hours.  From that point forward, I knew I wanted to know more.  I knew I wanted to take this information into my own hands and dig deeper.  

Typically, when I find something of extreme interest to me, I tend to jump in head first without thinking.  Sometimes this leads me into trouble.  Trouble which snowballs into many mistakes.  This time however, I didn't meet much trouble.  I do regret, jumping in head first without discussing matters with my partner.  So a word of advice to potential novice beekeepers: Tell your friends, families, and significant others about your new, weird hobby!!  Trust me, you'll get some funny looks and probably a few laughs, I did.  It's not a normal everyday hobby, like coin collecting, hiking, or photography. 

However, I am extremely excited to take you on this journey with me.  With most journeys, I promise success stories, mishaps, struggles, times of complete happiness, and times of complete sadness.  I always like to remember, that life is about living through experiences, having struggles along the way, learning from your mistakes, and picking yourself back up.  One step at a time.  Or should I say, one sting at a time.