My life with Honey bees Or the girls in my life

My Beekeeping story

It began in October of 2002 when I cut down a dead Ash tree for firewood. I never knew it was home to Honey Bees till I had nearly all the lower part blocked up to split into fire wood size.
Kare my wife had told me of watching a PBS program about the wild honey bees dieing out because of a mite. Since we had about 2,000sq.ft. Of perennial flowerbeds at that time I didn’t want the bees to die. I tried to find a local beekeeper to help me save them to no avail. I then turned to the Internet, where I found Jim, a West Michigan beekeeper.
Jim told me what I needed to do to get the bees thru the winter, which did work.
After fixing things so the bees would over winter I discovered, I had questions about honeybees. Jim was kind and answered all my questions and told me other things also. Jim suggested that when spring came I should take steps to get the wild bees in a standard hive box and become a beekeeper. Before Jim left with his honey bees for the winter in Flordia he explained just how I should go about doing that.
Some how I managed to loose Jims E Mail address, I no longer had him to ask for advice when spring arrived. I bungled my way thru but still need some answers. Once again the internet saved my neck. I met Joel a beekeeper in Missouri. Joel had years of experince which he shared with me. I told him that after a week it looked like the girls were not going up into the hives. Joel sent me a frame of drawn comb, I didn't even know what drawn comb was. After a month with much bee activity they just were not around any more. After another two weeks with no bees around, Joel said they had probably found a new home on their own because there was some thing about the hives they must have not liked. Joel told me of a place here in Michigan where I could buy a nuc of bees. I took the frame I had built to hold the hives around the log down when I removed the hive bodies. A mouse had been in there, Joel told me that would make the bees leave.
He also told me he hadn't been feeling well and had went to the doctor. Joel told me that he might not make it to harvest any more honey, said what comes about just happens for a reason. I never heard from Joel after the last week in May 2003. I sent snail mail and e mails to no avail.
I was able to find Jims address latter that summer though. I continue to write him about the bees. I was surprized to have him invite me to go to queen rearing school with him in May.

I also had a second tree which was home to honey bees on my property but had knowen about that one. That one is a story of it's own.


{ :-) Al