One Year Of Beekeeping on the Gubba Homestead

Part of being a beekeeper is getting to know your bees and what they are comfortable with! Bees are extraordinary and inspiring animals. They work, harvest, and serve.

Hanging with and near my bees depends on their activity and mood. I hang out with and around my hives regularly and observe them. I can sense when they’re tense and notice it by their activity.

In this video, I noticed their activity and thought they might be getting ready to swarm. They do this if they run out of room or if they don’t have enough food. Luckily, my new hive next to it was also starting to do this and I was able to deduce that my bees were “bearding” instead because it was such a hot day so they came out to cool the hive down. Very neat!

Most of the time, I do my bee work with no bee suit. When I have to be invasive, I definitely suit up. If not, my bees are peaceful and I love being their presence.

I have Carniolan and Carniolan/Italian mix. Would you ever keep bees?