Bees

Tomorrow is September, and I ask where did the summer go? The past few months have gone by very quickly. It always seems that when spring approaches one starts to make a list of all the projects and things they plan to do over the summer. Well - one of those items on my list was to learn about bees and the world of bee keeping. I hate to admit that I never really did fit this in. I guess I was too busy concentrating on the birds here on the farm!

At the University of Western Ontario there are a few beehives on site. The photos I have included were taken at the Research Station. Bees are very fascinating little creatures. Always keeping busy. Busy as a bee!

Today, while in Chapters I found a book on the sale rack - Keeping Bees, Looking After An Apiary by Vivian Head. I did purchase the book and will give it a read. This will be my start!

I do plan to attend an upcoming tour of the Chatsworth Honey Bee Farm. The tour is being organized by FarmStart on Sunday Sept. 19th. http://www.farmstart.ca/current-events-workshops/. I am sure this tour will be very interesting and look forward to seeing the bees and meeting the farmers.

Maybe next summer, I will invest in that hive that I did not get around to purchasing this year. I shall keep you posted!

Beautiful Bees

• Honeybees wings stroke 11,400 times per minute, thus making their distinctive buzz.


• To make one pound of honey, the bees in the colony must visit 2 million flowers, fly over 55,000 miles and will be the lifetime work of approximately 768 bees.


• Honey is the ONLY food that contains all the substances necessary to sustain life, including water.


• Honey never spoils.


• Bees are the most important group of pollinators. Almost 80% of all flowering plants depend on pollinators to help them transfer their pollen.


• Honeybees are the only insect that produces food eaten by man.


• The estimated total value of Honey Bees to Canadian agriculture is $782 million.