Gardeners who don’t keep bees? Seems odd to me. It’s like being a gardener who doesn’t compost, peanut butter without jelly, Laurel without Hardy, …… You get the idea. I am often asked: How much trouble is it to keep honey bees? Not much trouble at all I say. But just like being a good owner of any garden or livestock, we want to be the best steward we can of the life entrusted to our care. “Being a good beekeeper starts with having good stock.” If you start off with bad bees, you will have a lot of extra trouble. Bad bees are sickly, ornery, and don’t produce enough honey to share. Good bees are healthy, happy, and a pleasure to work with. “So where do I find these good bees?” you say. Well, you can collect a swarm in the spring. You could get your bees from some…
