Today the BeeKeeper asked me for a “honey do” unique to beekeeping in Texas: Picking stickers, or grass-burrs, off his bee suit so it could be washed and reworn without injury to the washing machine or The BeeKeepers tender hide.
He’d been out beekeeping into the evening and wound up removing the suit in a field, which happened to be full of stickers. On the way back, he decided to stop at another field and put the suit back on, which now had stickers on the inside. An unpleasant experience. We all know beekeeping has some discomforts; this is one that the dry Texas summer provided.
Why am I sharing this? Well, because beekeepers go through a lot of discomfort for their desire to help the bees and bring healthy honey to folks that appreciate it. Let’s hear it for the beekeepers! And for this reason – most folks don’t know what all a beekeeper does. Some of it is fascinating and fun. Some of it is a dirty job and uncomfortable.
But beekeepers love it. And my BeeKeeper is very happy to “bee” keeping.
So consider this just a little note about an ordinary Texas beekeeping day. Just FYI, in case you’re curious about the life.
Now . . . I’m off to gather buckets for an impromptu extraction for a small cache of honey for personal use. A gift from the BeeKeeper.
Yours Truly,
Jana, The BeeKeeper’s Wife
