[jbaird]

Got my first colony in 1973, hand-me-down from relative that died.

Bees were half-wild, very dark and mean.

I got stung so many times over first five yrs I developed an increasingly severe reaction, till I had to get rid of them.

Yrs later my wife took an interest, so we got some more, and for many yrs now I operate the smoker and offer tips while she dresses out and does the heavy lifting, so to speak.

 

[Hobo]

Welcome. You are not far from me. (I am on the other side of Athens.)

You should attend a meeting of the Eastern Piedmont Beekeepers Association. http://easternpiedmontbeekeepers.org/

 

[Tenbears]

Welcome. hope you enjoy it here. I have been keeping bees for over 40 years, and learn new things here all the time.

 

[AmericasBeekeeper]

Welcome JB!

 

[jbaird]

Glad to bee here.

I am of the lowest intensity level of beekeeper. I simply enjoy having a colony at my home. They are kind of like pets, and I know they benefit everything here that grows.

We have only taken a few quarts of honey in many years.

The reaction to stings has abated somewhat, but is still not worth the trouble. A couple of yrs ago I was sitting watching them come and go, as I like to do now and then, when a bee got caught behind my glasses and stung my eyelid. Whole face puffed up for several days. Bummer. But my wife is enthusiastic and I love to be the smokester and watch her while she does the very infrequent visits we make inside.