Patience
One of the things I think I’ll learn from this hobby is more patience. I just want to do it right and there doesn’t seem to be an easy way! It takes experience and exposure and patience.
– Patricia Butler
Blog
They know what they’re doing
Half the time I go in there, I don’t know what they’re doing. I don’t know if I’m reading them right. But I know they know what they’re doing. It’s very clear.
– Suzanne Connolly Howes
St. Louis, Missouri
Urban Homesteading Series
Schlafly Bottleworks
1/26/10
Hosted by Slow Food St. Louis
They’re alive!
Maybe, now that I think about it, there’s something spiritual about being out there with those bees. You really see there’s something controlling things, you know. And they’re alive! That’s my definition of spirituality, to be alive and get involved. You sense that in nature, don’t you?
– Marge McLellan
It’s like church in there, isn’t it?
It’s like church in there isn’t it? I mean, it’s sacred in there. I guess, for me, in a box of bees, you don’t have to explain yourself. You don’t have to understand everything that’s going on. Everything they do eventually makes sense even if I don’t understand it at the time. All of that to me is feminine.
– Julie Finley
Sometimes they’re not
It seems like I should be able to have friendlier bees, but sometimes they’re not.
– Ruth Eastman
They’re helping each other
When a bee comes back to the hive she doesn’t put the honey in the comb herself, she gives it to somebody else, then another bee will process it or put it away. They share things. They live together. They’re helping each other.
– Mery Molenaar
Hooked
A friend once said it takes a year or two for people to decide whether or not to stick with beekeeping. For some people it’s too much work. Other people get hooked. I’m definitely hooked.
– Patricia Butler
I love giving away honey
I don’t sell my honey. I give it to my friends and family and the people who love it are the ones who get the most. I love giving away honey to people who really appreciate it.
– Suzanne Connolly Howes
People are odd animals
When I first started keeping bees I was giving honey away. I got the feeling after a year or so that I’d walk into a room and people would say, “Oh, here she comes with her honey.” So I decided I’m not going to do that anymore and started charging for it. As soon as I started charging, “Oh! Where’s your honey?” I don’t know why humans are that way but they are. If you charge a little tiny bit for it, they want it.
– Marge McLellan
Honey
Oh, jeez, look at all this honey!
– Julie Finley
A different world
It’s like entering a different world.
– Ruth Eastman
A determined, direct way of living
The most intriguing thing about bees for me is the way they communicate with one another. The way they build their comb, the hexagonal shape, it’s fascinating how well they work together. It’s a really determined, direct way of living.
– Mery Molenaar
Beesource
There’s a nice Sister Bee thread on the beekeeping forum, Beesource. Includes commentary about Sister Bee being an all women production.
– Laura
You simply have to experience it
What I’ve found expecially interesting and difficult is just understanding the bees, beginning to become comfortable with their rhythms and of course, having them comfortable with me, things you can’t really teach. There’s a great deal of this activity that you simply have to experience.
– Patricia Butler
My whole reason for bees
It’s funny how many beekeepers I’ve met and talked to recently who don’t actually eat very much honey. And I don’t eat very much honey. My whole reason for bees is more because I love bees and I want to have a place for them and I love having them in my backyard. I just love, I LOVE calling myself a beekeeper! So I don’t need to be really aggressive about having a huge harvest from them.
– Suzanne Connolly Howes
I just like to see the bees living and doing well
It’s just wonderful to see them! When I take the cover off the hive I’m just fascinated to watch them go about their jobs, working so hard. They know exactly what to do.
– Marge McLellan
Benevolence
When you take the lid off of that box there’s a kind of benevolence that comes from it. Just the amount of food they make, their generosity . . . is really kind of astounding. They’re just so sisterly and I think that really comes through in their work and in their presence and in their energy.
– Julie Finley
It’s a slow speed
It’s a slow speed. You don’t answer the phone. You don’t do anything else while you’re with them. You just get lost, I mean hours… I can be with those bees for three or four hours, come in and realize I missed lunch, it’s three hours later, but I don’t care!
– Ruth Eastman
Sister Bee Trailer now available on YouTube
The Sister Bee trailer is now available on YouTube! I hope this is helpful for those of you unable to view the QuickTime movie on the home page. You’re warmly invited to pass it on to your friends.
Thank you.
– Laura