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Beekeeping
I am interested in starting a hive and looking for any information on the do's and don'ts. I was always told that eating local honey could help your allergy symptoms and since there's nothing more local than you own backyard, it seems like a great idea!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by ToddB on -
I would talk to a local honey supplier and see if they would put a hive on your property. I know in my area they are more than willing to do this, and then teach you all about it.
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Permalink Reply by Kelly Dukarski on -
That is a Great idea! Thanks!
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Permalink Reply by Torry on -
In NC we have the Cooperative Extension Service, which aids small farmers and DIYers with all kindsa home projects. They have recently promoted home beekeeping in response to the decline of the honeybee. They offer tips and tricks, also part of the year free hives and equipment. Does MA have anything similar? If so, they'd be a great source.
T
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Permalink Reply by Kelly Dukarski on
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I will definitely check into it. I'm not sure if MA has a program like that set up but it's worth a shot! Thanks.
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Permalink Reply by Pat on -
Look for the local beekeeping club. They sometimes have classes to help and will offer mentoring. There is a club in every state, so check that out. It really helps if you have someone to call who knows bees.
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Permalink Reply by mary on -
Ive just started working on a small farm with bees - Ill check it out next week and let you know!
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Permalink Reply by Lia Huber on -
I read a great article in Gourmet last summer about beekeeping -- it might be up on Epicurious or gourmet.com? More narrative--really well written--on growing up with beekeepers and then becoming one himself than hard and fast help. Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by future_reference on -
Also, If you have fruit trees on your property they'll go wild!
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Permalink Reply by Kelly Dukarski on
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Thanks everybody! This is all good stuff!
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Permalink Reply by Jacqueline Church on -
My friend Julia Rutland on Facebook is an apiarist (I think that's what beekeepers are called.) Check her page out and see if she has any tips - maybe a good resource or a book..?
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Permalink Reply by future_reference on
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Permalink Reply by Kelly Dukarski on
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Thanks for all the info! I've signed up for beekeeping classes through a local bee association and have been reading like a maniac. I've also ordered bees from a local apiary and they are scheduled to arrive in the spring. For some reason I was unable to find a local source to set me up with hives. Regardless, it looks like things are off to a good start!
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Today is Veterans Day and Farm Aid thanks all the veterans who have served our country. In honor of their service, I want to introduce you to a group of veterans who are beginning new careers as farmers and growers of the Good Food Movement. 
Not long after the Farm Aid concert in early October, we received an email from Michael O'Gorman, project director of the Farmer-Veteran Coalition (FVC). The FVC brought a group of veterans to St. Louis and mounted an excellent exhibit in our HOMEGROWN Village at the show. Reflecting on the experience, Michael wrote, "Our group...included twenty two veterans—twenty of them post-9/11, fifteen who served in Iraq or Afghanistan or both, and fifteen of whom are pursuing careers in farming or the good food movement. It was a very powerful experience for these men and women to meet each other—some for the first time—and to feel part of a very unique group that shares such profound experience in common. Farm Aid was a wonderful experience for them to see young farmers treated as heroes—something they are both searching for and deserving of. And of course they all went absolutely berserk when Willie came on stage with our hat!!"
Willie and Farm Aid are proud to have hosted the Farmer-Veteran Coalition in St. Louis and honored to include the FVC as a member of our Farmer Resource Network. The FVC is a California-based non-profit organization whose long-term goal is creating 10,000 new farmers from the ranks of some two million returning post-9/11 veterans. This goal is not merely a pipe dream: rural Americans disproportionately over-populate the ranks of the military, representing roughly 65% of all service members. Fully committed to growing the good food movement and to the notion that nourishing the land helps nourish the soul, the FVC's mission is "to mobilize our food and farming community to create healthy and viable futures for America's veterans by enlisting their help in 1) building our green economy, 2) rebuilding our rural communities, and 3) securing a safe and healthy food supply".The FVC, which is explicitly non-political, welcomes all returning vets and connects them with help in employment, training, and replenishing their lives on America's farms. In addition to working with veterans groups all over the country, the FVC is currently expanding its connections to new farmer training programs, building its mentoring program among established farmers and food industry professionals, and gathering resources to help veterans find financing for land or further education.
Click here to read more about the Farmer Veterans Coalition's visit to Farm Aid.
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