The Backyard Beekeeper: An Ever-Expanding Definition
What comes to your mind when you picture a "Backyard Beekeeper..?"
The reality is, there is a severe lack of beehives that exist in our little corner of the world. In fact, beehives are diminishing so quickly that we are in danger of losing one-third of the worlds food supply.
The world's a tough place for such a little guy
Beehives are susceptible to weakening health and even death in today's world, but whose to blame? Experts are still having trouble pinpointing the direct cause of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), the ever-evolving mite has yet to be fully eradicated, and many overworked hives can't keep up with the demand of pollination.
Now think of the Backyard Beekeeper one more time... do you picture a lifesaver?
Okay, maybe that's a bit dramatic, but lets be real, they are literally saving our lives by maintaining our food sources. And our little honeybees need all the help they can get.
Backyard beekeepers provide bees the extra helping hand they need to survive in today's world. By giving bees a carefully maintained home and treating them against the varroa mite, our little friends can focus on doing what they do best: pollinating the neighborhood around you!
Pros & Cons to becoming a backyard beekeeper
Let's list the pros & cons:
Pro: There's nothing like the taste of local, pure honey from your own hive.
Con: It's tedious to extract from your own hive, (but we've got your back with our seasonal, for-rent extraction machines!)
Con: You'll be stung at least once...
Pro: Honeybee's are naturally docile, they don't want to sting you! As long as you remain calm, they'll remain calm.
Con: Is there any other cons??
Pro: Your garden, your neighbors garden, and your neighbor's, neighbor's garden will thank you!
Now, we could go on and on about how wonderful bee-ing a beekeeper is, or we could just leave it up to you to discover for yourself. The job is rewarding in more ways than one. Help the ecosystem, help save the bees. One of the goals the Becker family had when opening a honey shop in Sacramento was not only to provide pure, local products from the hive to the community, but to also become a place of knowledge and reference for our customers. After beekeeping for almost 100 years, our fourth generation family of beekeepers knows a thing or two, and we're happy to share that with you.
To get more involved, sign up for one of our upcoming Beekeeper's Forums here or reserve your packaged bees today!
Sources:
http://www.newsweek.com/bees-population-colony-endangered-species-645694
