Bees!

Bees are coming to Czar of the Woods Farm!  In cooperation with Steve (and Cindy) Mead of Never Rest Farm in Concord, NY we will soon have our first bee hive!  Steve is a bee-keeper extraordinaire and is bringing a hive to our property to help pollinate the property and make honey as well.  The other day Steve dropped off the 2 boxes that are used to start a hive and soon he will be bringing the bees over as well.  Today I spent a few hours with him at his farm tending to his bees, learning from a master!  It was pretty great to be standing amongst millions of bees from several hives.  It's pretty intense yet paradoxically calming at the same time.  We wore bee suits that keep the bees out but when you are calm so too are the bees!  None of us got stung once.  Steve doesn't wear gloves when he works with the bees.  I'm not that brave...yet.  

For those of you that don't know just how important bees are.  It is said that if bees ever died off so too would humans because they are so incredibly important to pollinating the fruits and vegetables that we eat and the plants the animals eat, that we end up in turn end up eating.  Thy are one of the most important living beings on this planet.  To play a small role in that here at the farm is pretty great!  The hobby of keeping bees is both a science and an art.  Much to learn!

I placed the hive at the back of the property where they will have access to our open pasture full of all kinds of flowers, and the open property behind us.  They are next to an apple tree and honey berry bushes.  Depending on the time of year and where the bees get the pollen and nectar from will determine the flavor of the honey, and color.  

So until the bees come we are thinking of 20,000 names for them and Sarah is knitting each of them sweaters for when it gets cold at night. :)