The Beekeeper Cometh

Good morning, and welcome back to Coverin’ the Bases. We thank you all so much for stopping by to visit with us.

As all you guys know, I had written an article asking if we had any readers who were in fact bee keepers, and would they let us know.

Well, we had a great response, and several responded. Thank you all so much!

My reasoning behind my request was simply, that I would like to keep 4-5 hives here on the place and work them. This would become reality through our friends on our site who could instruct me in the do’s and don’ts as well as pointing me in the right direction in regards to readable research.

Well, as I stated in an earlier article, not a week or so after placing my request of, do we have beekeepers as readers, right out of the blue…came a bee keeper!
I talked about it in an earlier article, and was really funny how we came to know her; actually it was literally hilarious. For those who hadn’t read about this chance meeting, I’m going to share it with you once more.

We’re Out Watering the Garden, and Who Pulls Up on the Road…a Beekeeper!

You know, in our column on March 29th, I asked if any of our readers were Bee Keepers. Just like any question we throw out there to you guys, we had several responses!

We even had one guy who was quite the talker, “GC,” and to be honest I really, really got a kick out of his response! Now as I said, this guy can “shuck the corn,” in terms of really expressing himself, and with that being said I’ll share his response back to us…you ready for this, he’s pretty long-winded, but here it is.

“Well, I am one.”

This was his response! But if you stop and think about it, he answered my question of whether we had readers who were Bee Keepers, as he replied, Well, I am one!” I swear I almost fell out of my chair when I read it, and called Deb in and told her look at this! She howled as well, and I swear, that was the funniest thing I’d read in quite a while…it was hilarious!

I e-mailed him back, and he ended up being just a super guy, and I’d love to speak with him again. “GC,”I just had to tell it man, it was just too funny!
Take care my friend, and holler back at us, okay? Thanks so much for your other response as well, it is appreciated!

We also had 3 or 4 more, and we just really appreciate you guys taking the time and sharing with us your knowledge and thoughts on this subject! If you haven’t looked in our comment section, I’ve responded back to you all! So, Harrie, Monique, and Mr. Marshall, thanks so much and please, you guys come back to see us again!

Also Mr. Marshall, please send us more on your thoughts in regards to the pesticides, etc. I’m finding some of this very interesting.

This afternoon, Deb and I were contemplating going into the larger garden, and watering the tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers and squash. We hand water these, and at first said no, then we agreed we should, and went out and got started.

We’d been out there 30 minutes or so, and this truck goes by real slow, almost stopping. We were keeping an eye on it, and dern if it didn’t go down a few hundred yards out of sight, turned around and came back by, even slower.

Well, I told Deb to let pooch Cheyenne into the garden as it’s fenced, because she will get after someone if they’re going by slowly. Well, the truck went down to our gate, stopped and came by slow once again. At this point Deb said, I’m gonna go get the truck, grab a couple guns, and I’ll be right back!

I said, why don’t I go get the truck, a couple of guns, and I’ll be right back! At this point she was almost to the house, so I just hollered, I LOVE YOU TOO! Dad-gum woman had left me high and dry!!

That dern truck turned around and came back, stopped on the road across from me, and the driver got out and started hollering to me, trying to ask me something.

I hollered back I cain’t hear a darn thing you’re saying, and by this time Deb had pulled up to the garden, so Cheyenne and I got in the truck, and we pulled down to the roadside to see what they wanted. We have had a “couple crazies,” stop before, so we are cautious to an extent anymore.

Well, Wild Bill Hickock, and I was going to say Calamity Jane, but she weren’t mean enough for Deb, so I’ll say Belle Starr, pulled up alongside the fence and I asked, “Can I help you,” and Deb snarlin’ sayin’, “Well, answer the man, cat got your tongue?”

No, Deb didn’t say no such thing, but I couldn’t resist saying she had! LOL!

We did pull up beside the fence and it was a woman, probably in her fifties, I’m guessing, and she said, “I’m a Bee Keeper and I’d like to know if you’d mind if I put out some hives in the next couple weeks or so?”

I almost cracked up! Here we were, Deb and I “loaded for bear,” and this nice, polite woman, asks if we’d mind her putting out some hives on the place, and here it was, less than a week since I’d asked in our column, that if anyone did keep bees, I’d sure like talking to ‘em!

Boy, God works in mysterious ways, he hand delivered this lady to us…and here Deb and I were…gonna shoot her!

We asked her to pull back down to the gate and we’d talk. I explained to her about asking you guys about bee keepers, and she laughed too. I explained that I’d like to personally have 3-4 hives, etc., basically everything I’d asked in our column about this subject.

Her response…I’d be happy to show you everything I know, and I’ll be back no later than a couple weeks, with about 60 hives. She wants to put 30 in two different spots. She said she’ll bring me a “starter hive,” and Deb and I some honey as well. Then she’ll work with me in teaching me some things about the bees.

She said the cabbage palms will be putting out and that’s the next food source for them down here. I thought this was all just too neat, and I’ll keep you guys aware of what goes on in regards to this.

Can you believe it, and once again…Deb was gonna shoot her! See what I have to put up with??

So as you can see, Deb and I had a lot of fun with this story!

54 Hives Later

Anyway, she called us yesterday, and asked if she could move some of her hives onto our place? We told her sure, c’mon.

So she, her son Kenny, and grandson Brian, brought their bees, or I should say, some of their bees.

Sherry is her name, and she seems to be a really nice lady…and a hard worker. I was quick to point out the “she’s a hard worker,” to Deb, but I don’t think Deb was even paying any attention to me, to be honest with you guys!

They explained to me briefly, as they were really busy, that the bees were finishing up in regards to the orange blossoms. With this being the case, she’d now brought them to our place because of the palmettos coming in next, followed up by the cabbage palms. These evidently are the bee’s next food source.

They put out 42 hives in one pasture, then went across the place to our last pasture, and put out 12 more.

I stood back a considerable distance and watched them put out the hives. I know to other bee keepers this is merely second nature to you guys, but to a “rookie,” I found it fascinating!

Sherry, told me next time she came back, she’d “suit me up,” and explain the, what she was doing, how come, and the reasoning she uses for doing it that particular way. She also promised to bring me a “starter hive,” whatever that is.

She’s also telling me that if I’d like, she’ll be doing her thing, while I can be there beside her filming the process as she does it, and explaining to us what she’s doing. I think that would be really interesting, and feel like many of you would as well.

I look forward to this, and believe I’ll find it to be fascinating, really, I can’t wait! Also, being as Deb and I both know now what type of vehicle she drives, maybe next time I can keep ole’ Deb outta’ the gun case when she pulls up!

Well, now you know the reasoning “Ole Deadeye Deb,” tells you guys what a good husband I am from time to time…I BETTER BE!!

Oh yes…she brought us a BIG container of honey, and man is it good!! Plus, between you and me…I’d be willing to bet, that “Ole Deadeye” insures Sherry keeping us in a pretty good stock of honey! Wouldn’t you agree?

I took a couple of pictures I’d like to share with you, and plus some video as well. I apologize for the video, because just as I was about to close it out, my battery died in the camera! Just my luck!

I hope you guys enjoy them, and as we progress further along, I’d like to keep you all updated in our bee keeping adventures!

Thank you all for coming in to see us, and God Bless you all!

P.S. I just have to tell you all how much we appreciate your responses in regards to Deb’s cancer dilemma!

Your response has been such an outpouring of love, concern, and faith provided from you, to us! Thank you so much, and we’re indebted to all of you! We had begun to doubt the goodness still in people’s hearts, simply because of the world we live in today!

But we have to tell you, there are so, so many people who love and care for their friends, neighbors and loved ones, that I swear, it simply overwhelmed us!
We love every one of you, and if you EVER need our love, support or prayers, please do not hesitate to ask!!