To make a long story short, I briefly got out of beekeeping. I didn’t get out for a lack of interest or disillusionment. Instead, my figurative departure came about because of a physical one: I left the rolling foothills of North Carolina for a job with the federal government and the hustle and bustle of a large metropolitan area. Before I made the move, however, I sold nearly every beekeeping item I had besides a solar wax melter, a swarm box for queen rearing, and a hive carrier. Since I had next to nothing when I came back, I had to start anew, and this gave me an opportunity to approach beekeeping in a different way.
I kept bees for ten years before my brief interlude. I sold honey, nucs, complete hives, and some bee equipment. I was also producing queens at one time. When it came to beekeeping, I attempted almost every facet of the hobby at least once—you might have even read some of my articles on mead making in the American Bee Journal.
What I didn’t have a good grasp on was beekeeping on the cutting edge. All the books, and most of the experts, recommended treating for diseases preventively: treat for everything whether the bees need it or not. This served everyone well in the past, but with Varroa destructor causing greater destruction and American foulbrood not responding to oxytetracycline (Terramycin), it became clear that what we were doing was not working—at least not in the long-term. I resolved not to be this type of beekeeper.
As an experienced beekeeper going into beekeeping with a fresh start, here is what I decided I would do differently:
While some of the decisions are self-explanatory, others will require some rationale. In Part II, I will cover the reasons for my choices and an overview of my experience.
July 1, 2009 • Beekeeping
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