Don’t worry, BEE happy.
Ms. Armstrong and son, Drew, settling bees into new home from Southern California.
November 20, 2015
Everyone has a hidden talent or hobby that not many people know about.
For Ms. Armstrong that unknown hobby is bee keeping!
Other than being a full time chemistry teacher, she’s also been nurturing her 9,000 bees that she attained in May of 2015, along with help from her husband and two sons.
Ms. Armstrong and son, Drew, receiving bees on delivery day from Southern California.
Some may wonder why you would want to keep bees at your home, especially with that possibility that you could get stung or have a new episode of “Attack of the Bees”, but for Ms. Armstrong she enjoys seeing the bees pollinate the plant life in her home and her neighborhood.
“It has been extremely fascinating watching all the jobs that they have in their colony,” said Armstrong.
When caring for bees, there are multiple procedures needed to ensure the life and well being of the bees depending on the season.
During the winter season, Ms. Armstrong and her husband work to winterize the bees in order to survive the cold weather, but with the the summer months, she only needs to check in the box regularly to make sure the bees are lively.
Many people that do take care of bees, await their favorite part of the process, honey. Unfortunately, bees usually take multiple seasons to produce copious amounts of honey.
Ms. Armstrong was lucky enough to have had a taste of her bees sweet product slightly early, “we had a little and it was amazing,” as she raved about the delicious honey.
Although having the bees is something that Armstrong enjoys, there have been a few scares having them around.
Despite one sting, Armstrong also recaps the escape of a few of her bees down the street that practically scared the plumber half to death.
When the bees had escaped, Armstrong recalls feeling like she had lost a few of her daughters, having nurtured them for so many months.
Although there have been a few moments of panic, there have also been many moments of pure delight.
Pulling out the bee frame and seeing small amounts of honey and bee larvae was one of the most satisfying moments in Armstrong’s bee keeping history.
Having the bees has been a positive experience for Armstrong and her family and she even jokes about her family gathering sand at different beaches this summer and scattering it around the bee cage hoping that one day they can make “beach honey”.
What a BEEutiful way to preserve and experience different elements of nature.
