Welcome To Our Hive

Our journey into beekeeping as a mommy-daughter duo! Our own stories and the occasional bee-themed fun 🐝🍯 www.facebook.com/themamabeeblog/

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We added a new little friend to the backyard farm! A turkey named Benjamin Franklin ☺️ my mom got one two because we were warned that a turkey with no friends is a little mischievous!

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Business update!

So we launched our soap sales on Facebook this week and started turning a profit on the first night! I am forever grateful to our friends and family for promoting the page! (Check out The Mama Bee on Facebook!)

We have been producing soap, taking orders and shipping all day! Bonus is that the entire house smells amazing. I’ll be honest in saying that our goal is not longevity. Starting up the beekeeping hobby can be expensive and we wanted a way to cover some of our expense. Lil and I have also been toying with different DIY projects we’ve always been “too busy” to try. She made the suggestion that soap fulfilled both! One day this kid will make momma proud (and hopefully rich!)

Lily’s favorite part has been our logo.. she proudly tells everyone that she’s the “baby Bee” and points out her bow!

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Today’s adventure involved a little honey! (Although not my own... and speaking of my own, I got news that my bees are arriving a week later than expected due to cold weather! Bummer!)

But while we wait for the official hive setup we’re finding ways to incorporate bees into some other projects. I have several friends that have been talking about how much they love/look for goat’s milk soap so we decided to give it a try. Soap making is another thing I’ve always wanted to try!

These little hand soaps are made with an organic goat milk soap base and raw honey! They’re adorable and have a fresh, natural scent to them. Goat milk and honey both have such positive impacts on our skin and health- they make the perfect combination! We’ve also been big lavender fans lately so I think I’m going to mix some doTerra essential oils on the next batch and maybe tint them slightly purple with a tad of soap dye.

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Her suit came! She’s hesitant about the bees... but I think she’s ready to give it a try!

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Prep Work

It doesn’t look like much based on the pictures but I got some prep work done today. Our property line backs up to a large open field.. hundreds of acres that are part of a wildlife trust that cannot be built on. This area right along our property is perfect for my hive home as it gets plenty of sunlight, allows for an open fly zone and keeps the bees a healthy distance from our closest neighbors, who have two little girls.

I decided to take the brood box and a base we had out to test locations for the best amount of sunlight before my babies arrive. And I also decided to “borrow” a tiny patch of land to start planting some bee-friendly plants and flowers. The area is filled with the thickest grass and although I managed to successfully work our rototiller for the first time, it was a lot of work! I planted three long rows of sunflowers for now. I’m getting them in the ground a little early but I think we’re past the worst of our winter weather and this area stays warm.

Bonus picture of our chicken coops.. fence is a work in progress. We have two silkies for now but they’re only a few weeks old and still inside.

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Si sapis, sis apis. If you are wise, be a bee. 🐝🐝🐝

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When you decide to stay up late and finish your first online bee course! 

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It’s totally normal to want all the bee-themed clothes you can find, right? 

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Bee Educated!

Along with starting this blog to document my journey in beekeeping (aka show you all my stings and failures!) I decided that I needed to get serious about educating myself about beekeeping.

Here’s the steps I’ve taken so far that have been helpful:

1. READ!

My brother and sister-in-law gave me a copy of Beekeeping for Dummies last week and I’ve been reading chapter by chapter. My favorite part has been the suggestion of bee-themed gifts for your neighbors to help them accept your new endeavor! 

I also found Backyard Beekeeping on Amazon which is a little cheaper and the kindle version is free if you have kindle-unlimited or you can try a free 30-day trial.

2. FIND A LOCAL ORGANIZATION!

I was already familiar with my county’s beekeeping association because I’ve obsessed over these guys at our county fair for years, but I’ve never been to a real meeting. I started by reading through their website and putting their next meeting in my planner.

There is a feature on BeeCulture that allows you to search for organizations by your state/location! 

3. GET EDUCATED!

Being in North Carolina myself, I know that NC State University has a booming agriculture program. I decided to browse around their Entomology Department and ended up finding an AMAZING online bee education program! It is called BEES: Beekeeper Education and Engagement System. For a very affordable donation to their program you get access to courses from their professors including handouts, live lectures, and a completion certificate upon passing a course quiz. They currently have 11 courses available online with a promise of more to come. There is no specific order or prerequisites.. so you study what you need! I am almost finished with my first course (Introduction to Beekeeping and Hive Management). You can find all of their information online! 

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Getting Started!

Beekeeping is a goal I’ve had for years. I really don’t know where my desire started but I’ve always been a fan and amateur protector of bees. (aka I beg people to not swat or kill them!) 

I’ve done some minimal research in the past and know the (very!) basics, but with our slowly growing “farm in the suburbs” we decided now was the time! My family is currently adding a small group of chickens (Silkies) and hoping to get a few Nigerian dwarf goats as well.

Earlier this week I made a trip to Southern States to buy the basics and placed an order for 10,000 new little friends that will ship in about 5 weeks!