A song of the bees
Be prepared for a feel-good moment. I first met Mark Luterra and his partner, Liz, two years ago in Corvallis, Oregon. At the time, Mark took me through his apiary and prepared a list of beekeepers I...
View ArticleMy advice for new beekeepers
With April comes the inevitable question, “What advice would you give a new beekeeper?” I seriously hate this question, mostly because it is fraught with undertones of philosophy. But once again, I...
View ArticleBeekeepers, wild bees, and the happiness of pursuit
I spent a good portion of last week on a bee trip, this time to the high desert of central Oregon. My bee trips give me an opportunity to meet other beekeepers, photograph native bees in their natural...
View ArticleBeekeeping reality: Why does it depend?
Why indeed? In last week’s post about tossing and turning, I mentioned the beekeeper who said he never wanted to hear the words “it depends” ever again. He wanted concrete answers, a recipe for keeping...
View ArticleBeekeeping will change you for the worse
Many of my web visitors are soon-to-be beekeepers preparing for their first delivery of honey bees. They have read, attended classes, and talked to other beekeepers. Some write to me with a few...
View ArticleThe men and women of beekeeping: a survey
I have been asked by an otherwise reputable organization to evaluate the difference between the men and women of beekeeping. I would like to know things such as: This survey has just three questions...
View ArticleAre Women Better Beekeepers?
I can be naïve at times, so when I was asked to write an article about “why women are better beekeepers” I said sure, no problem. After all, the hardest part of writing is finding a topic. But in...
View ArticleIt’s a self-preservation thing
In the 2003 romantic comedy, Love Actually, there’s a scene where Juliet (Keira Knightley) visits her husband’s best friend, Mark (Andrew Lincoln), to borrow a video tape of her wedding. Although...
View ArticleWhat I don’t know about bees would fill volumes
Running a website makes you a target for verbal abuse. Many people cannot—are actually incapable of—leaving a comment or question that isn’t couched in expletives, four-letter words, and insinuations...
View ArticleThe Vocabulary of Beekeeping
Why unique words are important This may be the last ABJ article I ever write. Why? I have a premonition that an article about English in a beekeeping journal won’t go over well with the readership. It...
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