Our increases.

Bee keeping started out to save some honey bees living in a tree, then just to be a hobby. After several years now it has turned in to a spring into the fall job.

The six above pictured hives of seven were our first venture from our own home yard. We bought the seven colonies from a bee keeper who had gotten sick and could no longer work them.

I would call him after we bought the bees with questions and to inform him how they were doing. He got a great kick out of the story of how I learned that one breed of bees is not as gentil as others after I got stung about 20 some times the first time I opened the hives to look at the bees.

The 3 colonies of bees I had at home were Itialian, considered one of the gentilest breed of bee. I had often worked the home bees the summer before with a base ball hat and tee shirt. Well the SMR Carnoloinas the lived in the new hives are not that gentil. They came out the top of the hive whenI lifted the cover off and said HELLO, then proceded to teach me a helmit and veil would be needed when looking in on them.

We reduced the number of bees in those hive by making nucs with them. that lessing of the over crouding seem to help gentel them, stillnot enough to not wear a helmit and veil.

We started getting calls to catch swarms that summer too. Not a lot of them but enough that we went into the winter with 22 colonies.