Wander With Wild Things

After the most recent Friday Fun Fact, one reader asked how to set up a beehive in her own backyard. Given near total losses in my state and many others of honeybee populations, we are well-served to do all we can to help these important insects to thrive.

There are actually options available depending on the level of involvement you are seeking. First of course, you can build your own hive, order bees, and maintain it yourself. Not only can you produce up to 60 lbs of honey a year (tasty!!), but you will also see your garden flourish as well as bolstering the health of plants within your bees foraging range.

Resources:
An excellent page put together by the University of Georgia.
Step by step from eHow.
A "hive" of information from bees-on-the-net.com

Another way to get all the benefits with none of the work is to contact a local beekeeper. Often, they are willing to maintain a hive on your property and all you have to do is sit back and let the bees do their thing. The beekeeper may then just stop by once a month or so and take care of the hive.

You will have to do a bit of your own Google work to find this one. There is a list of beekeepers by state on bees-on-the-net (above). If you live in NC, the NC State Beekeepers Association website has all you need to know!

On a side note, if you want something even easier than honeybees, look into providing a home for orchard mason bees. You can build a simple house for them (right) as they do not live in hives. They are a very mild-mannered bee and also pollinate flowers, fruits and vegetables.

Think about it seriously, wanderers, as we depend on these animals for our food supply and, in relation, economic wellbeing. Plus, all your neighbours will be so jealous of your incredible gardens -- and really, who DOESN'T want to make their neigbours jealous of your mad skills???