WHAT’S ALL THE BUZZ ABOUT?
Not every self-reliant home is suitable for livestock. You need acreage, and the land would have to support sufficient forage, water, and fencing. You’d need to invest in a working chute to administer vaccines and treat a myriad of health concerns, and marketing the product would require a trailer or a haul bill. But even when cows, sheep, or hogs don’t make sense on a property, bees might.
Honeybees can be kept nearly anywhere, even on a high-rise roof or balcony when local ordinances allow it. They yield a sweetener with an indefinite shelf life, suitable for sale or barter. They can provide wax for waterproofing fabric or treating furniture, and they contribute to the pollination of numerous crops within a two-mile radius of the hive.
Be aware that beekeeping is a different vocation than three or four decades ago. Families with honeybees prior to the mid-1980s may have harvested honey on Independence Day and then not given those hives much thought until the next July 4th, but beekeeping these days requires greater management just to keep the hives going. Our nation has gone from 6 million honeybee colonies at the end of World War II to about 2.5 million today.
Success isn’t guaranteed for all who attempt beekeeping, even if all the textbook wisdom is employed, but it can be a worthwhile endeavor for those willing to accept the risks.
Seven honeybee species exist in the world (none of which is native to North (the Asian honeybee) and (the European honeybee).
