Hello, friends – ready for some fun news from the AOC acre?
We’ve got bees!
They are not our bees, though. I’m not up for the whole bee-suit-and-smoker-thing, but I’m happy to host them!
The two hives belong to my brother-in-law and he loves his bees. Seriously. When they were at his house, he would go and sit near the hives watching them for “relaxation.” Which makes it a little sad, then, that after my nephew got stung three times (the last resulting in a large lump) with the bees in their city backyard, they asked if they could move them out to our place.
They’re housed in our little 1/4-acre “pasture.” I think we need goats or something- gah, what a weedy mess. We pretty much don’t know what to do with this fenced area- it’s not big enough for an animal, but too big to mow regularly. And for goodness sakes, I don’t want anymore garden- I can barely keep up with what I’ve got.
Anyway, he brought them over and we were advised to stay indoors for the rest of the day because they probably weren’t going to be happy. We did and we haven’t noticed anything in the following days except happy bees fluttering about. It’s such a fun sight!
I’m excited to have these little pollinating buddies around our yard and gardens, though. I’ve not had much problem attracting bees- we’ve had great fruit and berry harvests in year’s past – but these guys are a for-sure thing. Do you think I’ll have even better harvests?
And you can’t get much more local honey than from your own property! They say that hyper-local honey from your own or a neighbor’s yard can help with allergies and overall health. Plus I know it will taste delicious.
And I’m really looking forward to seeing how my brother-in-law harvests the honey, because that will be a new experience for me.
If you keep bees or have any questions, make sure to leave them in the comments!
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Anthony Spence says
I also have experience with bees..and It was truly wonderful!!
Kathy A Delightsome Life says
I just love getting honey from our neighbor – and I love to imagine that the bees visiting our garden belong to him…wonderful party I appreciate you hosting,
Kathy
Kathleen says
I do envy you with your bees.(sigh)
I tried to get someone to bring their bees to our two acres, but there is another hive not too far …then I looked into getting my own… too much $… so no bees for me; only plants, animals and grandkids. (;
Enjoy the blog, thanks Jami!
http://erdkinder.blogspot.com/
Mary Ellen says
Oh you really would love bees once you started working with them! They are so fun to watch and yes, I sit in my swing and watch them go in and out their hive.
Thanks for letting me show off a bit of my garden though I joined the party late!
Just Trying To Save Money says
I always wanted bees but was too scarred to try!!
Thanks for the linky! Be sure to stop be every Tuesday to link up to our linky on Just Trying To Save Money
Lavender Cottage says
I’ve been buying local honey for several years and I know the couple are always on the look out for another location for more hives. (our property is too small) I’d rather eat it than the pasteurized honey from the grocery store and the health benefits are good.
Maybe you’ll be paid in honey for land rent. 🙂
Thanks for hosting.
Judith
SchneiderPeeps says
My 14yo son keeps bees. He just started this spring and has one hive. A friend made him a top bar Kenyan bee hive and another friend is requeening a feral hive for him to put in it. It’s pretty cool. And yes, beekeepers love their bees. My son and husband can often be found just hanging out near the hive watching them. Have fun with your bees!
Barb-Harmony Art Mom says
Keeping bees is something I have looked into but decided it would be too much work. (I really am lazy at heart.) We are glad to have a friend that has a honey business so I enjoy his star thistle honey…so very light. I enjoy the bees in my lavender and wonder what that honey would taste like…glorious probably.
Thanks for hosting the Garden party.
Sustainably Modern says
I think about having a hive off and on. Right now I am off. But I enjoy reading about the hives of others.
Sherry says
My co worker just started keeping bees last year and she shared some delicious honey with us. She lives in town but has a large back yard. We seem to get quite a few bees in our yard, they seem to like the flowers. I have not added anything new to my garden but bought two new planters at a garage sale last week and hope to do something with them this week.
Donna Heber says
We use to have a bee hive when I lived on the farm. I hope you will receive some honey from the hive – enjoy!
Athena at Minerva's Garden says
Hi Jami: Thank you for hosting another fun garden party, especially since it’s raining here today and I can’t get much done outside. I’m sure your garden will benefit from the influx of new bees, and that wonderful honey you’ll be enjoying–fantastic! When I was growing up, my Dad kept a hive of bees in the back end of the barnyard. He would go out once a year and harvest it. It’s quite a production if you haven’t seen it being done before. I would love to have a hive, but I am a real wimp about getting stung by bees, so I know I wouldn’t trust myself to do the necessary upkeep to make it work. I do love seeing the bees out in my garden, though–we hang out together while I work!
Yael at Home Garden Diggers says
Love the fact that you have the bees. We have so many bees in my backyard that the idea is tempting. Not sure whether we are allowed within city limits though.
Yael from Home Garden Diggers
(another Oregon Gardener)
Zinnia says
Bees are such fantastic little creatures. Fresh honey is the best thing there is. They will certainly increase your harvest results. I wish you a great week! Zinnia
Sakura says
My neighbor has bees and it really helps my garden go crazy! This week I am going to put straw around my raised beds, and I planted more herb pots. The weathers cooled down again here do I might pull out some items from the garden and plant a couple more tomato plants!
La Vie Quotidienne says
You are so lucky, I would love to have a hive, I have even thought of contacting a local beekeeper to see if he would like to leave a hive here. Thank you for hosting.
La Vie Quotidienne says
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Lady Farmer says
All of your plants and trees will thank you for the bees! I was going to suggest a little fruit orchard for the ‘pasture’, but perhaps you already have one. How about a lavender field. Yes, it’s gardening but really low maintenance after it’s planted. Or maybe sprinkle wildflower seeds ~ that would look spectacular and the bees would love it and you just mow it at the end of the season! Sorry it’s all a little bit of gardening. Do you have chickens? Would make a great place for a small coop and yard!
[email protected] Simplifiy, Live, Love says
Bees – fun! I shared a couple methods I used this past weekend to get a handle on unwanted pests in my garden. Thanks for hosting!!
[email protected] and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas says
Hello!
Wow!! Bees!! The flowers in my little Cottage Garden do attract a lot of Bees here but as long as they do not bother me, I don’t bother them!!
Thanks for hosting and i am glad that I found your party!!
Hugs,
Deb