Saturday Projects - Beekeeping

Saturday-Project

I learned how to make scented votive candles about a two years ago in the efforts of starting a small home business. It was so simple yet complex. The process was almost easy enough to do in my sleep. The trouble came in keeping the cost of the materials down. I would use 50% off coupons and scour the internet for discounts on scents. Still, I wondered if I could do better. I still couldn’t manufacture my own candle for less than Wal-Mart could sell one. Then the extreme discount section of my brain took over. “Well, if I can’t buy the wax any cheaper than I’ll just produce my own!” This is the crazy idea that sparked my interest in beekeeping. They seemed to be comparatively hands-off. They didn’t need to be milked twice a day nor weeded nor replenished every year. Wow, this may be just up my ally. If I were to have a beehive, what else could I make with the wax? I have had so much fun envisioning soaps, lip balms, and beautiful candles! I studied the beehive with excitement. All of the components were simply squares and rectangles that fit together so nicely and organized! It wasn’t cluttered and chaotic. Ah, this hobby is looking better every second. I flipped through the catalog admiring all of the beautiful accessories. I had a passion for all of the yields as well as the equipment, but what about the bees? I tried to envision having to brush the bees off of the frames. I thought about having the grass cut around the hives with the great big loud zero turn mower. I remembered that beekeepers develop and immunity to bee stings, because they get stung so frequently. I imagined my little boys running inside crying because their excited playing threatened the colony. Hmm, perhaps I don’t love beekeeping after all.