Plain Talk Beekeeping
Low-impact Beekeeping – So much as possible, let your bees control their destiny
The Beekeeping Journey
A “beekeeper” is not a standard entity. There are many different versions and varieties of apiculturists. As we evolve in our beekeeping experiences, so do our specific interests. But interests come and interests go.
As a neophyte, I built most of my wooden equipment. Indeed, I even built my frames. After hardly two years, I realized that other than minimal woodworking enjoyment, this process was not an efficient use of my time. I moved away from that phase, but for a while, I enjoyed the task.
For more than two decades, I eagerly produced honey bee queens. It was a rewarding time in my bee life, but I moved on. While I still have much of my vintage queen-producing equipment, my aging vision and declining energy made me appreciative of commercial producers. Now when a queen is needed, I just buy one or I let my bees deal with the shortage. All of us who manage bees are on a journey and there are many stops along the way. These examples are just two of my many stops.
I’m putting you through this beekeeper evolution discussion because I grew concerned that my following points about low-impact beekeeping were not always suitable for one who is new to beekeeping. New beekeepers need to learn the craft and to grow in their confidence. They need to open their hives and explore the bees inside. It takes years to acquire this natural perception. For established beekeepers, there is always something to be learned and new mistakes to be made, but in general, experienced beekeepers are more qualified to keep bees “from afar” rather than being required to be in their colonies every day. It’s a difference in apicultural perspective.
It’s hard to be helpful
When we as beekeepers perform our routine procedures, we know it is for the colony’s good. Do the bees know that? I suspect that if we could get the colony’s opinion, the results would be quite different. Try as we might, we simply cannot think like a bee. Below, I have offered some points that are more bee friendly than some of our present high-intensity management recommendations. …
