The Beginning might be a difficult time to pinpoint. There has been a realization that beekeeping was inevitable for quite some time. Of course the physical beginning of my beekeeping has a very clear date, but that comes somewhat later.
Eons ago, when I was a sweet young thing, in college and in love, I collected Extension publications on beekeeping, gardening, composting and other such environmental interests. I read them and incorporated the information into my daily activities as they fit. The gardening was never to be denied, even while living in apartments. And if you have a place to garden, you have a place to compost.
Bees are another matter. The bee colony is a living organism with needs that cannot be denied. Those needs just might infringe on neighbors, or young children. They require some thoughtful management. When conditions first seemed right to start beekeeping, honey bees were abundant and several friends & relatives provided us with honey in return for maple syrup. That was easy. Beekeeping vicariously.
Years fly by. Raising my family was my single most important activity, which governed the priorities of all activities. Obviously if bees had slipped into the pattern early on, they may have remained as integral as the garden, but instead they fell off the radar.
Then honey bees really did seem to fall off the radar! There were not honey bees on the first aconite blossoms in the spring, or on the blossoms in the orchard. There weren't even honey bees on the white clover in the lawn! Over the course of a few years the situation worsened.
Realistically, that can't be the right time to become involved in beekeeping, when the bees have become susceptible to a whole new array of difficulties. Or rather, maybe that's the time I most need to become involved. Take some risks and do my part to bring bees back into my own garden & orchard. And hope for success, proliferation, and perhaps some honey!
So I returned to my beekeeping publications, began to discuss possibilities, was offered great books & references, and far more decisions than I'd ever imagined. What kind of hive? What strain of bee? Where would I place a hive? The hive should get morning sun, be somewhat sheltered from the worst of the west winds, and be out of the way of people.
And then the catalogs. "Everything you need to begin beekeeping." Comparing one version to another, to a third. Just what really is needed? And does it really have to cost that much? I spent my winter reading & planning, biding my time for the weather to break. I visited some local beekeepers, as different in their attitudes as individuals are. And then I found the local beekeeping association. What a wonderful group of people, and what a great resource!
The first thing I found out was that while in a normal year March might be early enough to begin lining things up to begin a hive, this was not a normal year. The winter was hard on bees. The spring was not helping. I should have ordered bees in January. Oh, and I should have attended beekeeping classes in January and February. I might have to spend another year in preparation.
Preparation takes many forms. Back to the decisions about which type of hives, and what is actually necessary to begin beekeeping. (Aside from the distinctly absent bees.) Discussing these things escalated to taking family along to look & compare. I pretty firmly concluded I wanted a standard 10 frame hive, but with the adorable English garden top cover. And I very firmly decided not to purchase anything until next year.
The next week I bought my hive components and started the assembly process! Such foolishness. It wasn't so much an "if you build it, they will come" attitude, as an "if I don't begin sometime, it will never happen."
And so I had a hive prepared, but no residents. It was rather attractive.
