I grew up around beekeeping, but as much as I loved bugs of all kinds as a child, I was scared of bees. I do, however, have great memories of extracting the honey with my dad. You’d think I’d have gotten into beekeeping before I did, as I loved gardening and my little backyard farm, but between the apprehension around bees, and the time I just didn’t have without a baby in my arms or a toddler in tow, I never considered it as an adult…until the pandemic!
Over the pandemic, I realized my youngest was old enough to not be attached at the hip and to follow the directions “stay over there!” My husband was temporarily working from home, the kids were temporarily doing schooling from home, and we would be home a lot more than we used to be, considering all that was happening in the world around us. I was in my happy place being home and surrounded by my family, animals and projects and this seemed like a good time to try something new! I decided to get some hives of my own and start beekeeping with my dad and my middle son, who always loved insects and especially loved hanging with the adults.
Our little side-kick
The first time I was surrounded by swarming bees, my heart was pounding, but I remained calm on the outside, finished the job, and learned to trust my bee suit! I quickly got over my apprehension of bees - exposure therapy, I suppose - although you’ll still see me in a bee suit when I’m out tending to my hives. I find honey bees so fascinating and have learned so much! I thought maybe it would be a short, educational phase to get through the pandemic, but I have come to really love beekeeping, spending time with my dad and teaching my kids, as well as sharing some experiences and honey with family and friends. I am still learning more each year, but also find myself challenged each year with something new - who knew beekeeping could throw so many curveballs! I certainly didn’t.
Our first package of bees!
I learned that wearing a hat with a brim kept the netting off my face so the bees wouldn't sting me through it! It does not feel good to get stung in the face and they know how to find the vulnerable areas!
I have a little roadside stand where my boys sell vegetables, so after we extract honey, I keep some, gift some, and put some out for sale to cover all our beekeeping expenses and to give us a little extra cash to replace equipment as we need it. It’s no money-maker at the scale we are beekeeping, but it is very rewarding. The honey is wonderful and as fresh as we can get it! It is appreciated by honey-lovers and local people who struggle with seasonal allergies. The pollinators are appreciated by the gardeners and farmers, and the time with my dad and sons is irreplaceable and very meaningful to me.
I designed honey labels for us as well as a flyer to hang out at the stand. It is printed on a durable, waterproof material, so I haven’t had to update it since I designed it over 4 years ago. The sticker labels are also waterproof, which is necessary as they sometimes set outside on a shelf by the road and get rained on. After purchase, they can be rinsed if they get sticky. With 3 boys who make themselves tea and peanut butter and honey wraps, ours definitely gets sticky!
We had a variety of glass and plastic jars, so I designed several different sizes that could work on multiple jars. With the exception of the 2 oz bear, I left a small white box so I could write in the ozs or lbs. I used a photo of the hives on the farm I grew up on - Maegog Farm - and the place where my dad was already beekeeping. When I started beekeeping with him, we added a few more hives at my house, which is down the road from the farm. Maegog Farm is still our hub, as we have a room dedicated to extracting honey and storing all of our equipment.
The honey extracting process! When we extract, I try to let friends and family know in case they want to get involved!
Notice the difference in honey color that we get from year to year!
I definitely find a lot of inspiration in beekeeping and in the honey bee itself. I plan on designing a pattern collection in the future inspired by my experience with beekeeping!