A Time For Planning: Beekeeping on Nantucket

A brood frame

On Sunday late afternoon, Nantucket beekeepers and those exploring the idea of keeping bees will meet to discuss various topics, tell stories and learn about beekeeping. You might call it a beekeeping gam.....but it is so much more than the telling of stories and tales of the hive.
There are many practical decisions beekeepers must think about if just beginning. Then one must order bees and decide size and style of hives. The hives can be built from scratch, kits or bought used......or maybe you've inherited some hives from someone else. Used hives must be cleaned and maybe sanded and painted. We discuss various methods to recognize a hive pest or disease and whether or not we want to use chemicals to manage a pathogen or pest. In Massachusetts we have State Hive Inspectors. If you would like to have your hive(s) inspected or would like to send a sample from your hive to help identify a pathogen or pest contact:
Kim Skyrm, Ph.D.
Chief Apiary Inspector/Apiary Program Coordinator
Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources
251 Causeway Street, Suite 500
Boston, MA  02114
email: Kim.Skyrm@state.ma.us
Office: Amherst 413-548-1905; Boston 617-626-1801
Fax: Amherst 413-548-1901; Boston 617-626-1850

Hives in late spring

Research and stories written based on experience is plentiful on websites, blogs and in journals. are helpful for all beekeepers at the beginning stage or those with a life time of experience.
Beekeeping is an art and some of my favorite art comes from the world of honey bees in the form of colors, patterns, flavors of honey and propolis. The physics of architecture is apparent in every cell the bees manufacture from materials produced by the bees themselves.
Some observent beekeepers recognize the world in a new way. learning about blossoms, the physics, biology and chemistry of building a wax cell and weather patterns in depth. It is amazing how many different theories individual beekeepers and scientists alike develop, regarding honeybees. At some point we learn how much we don't know and how curious we are.

A package of bees

If interested in joining us, please leave a message in the comments section or search for Nantucket bACKyard beekeepers on Facebook for details. 

"Worlds Revealed" Map and Geography Blog at The Library of Congress

The Library of Congress Maps and Geography blog is a gem in the crown of the Library of Congress which provides links, information and graphs to the history and stories of cartography which tells the story of the spaces in which we evolved as humans and how we explored and developed these spaces. It is a wonderful learning tool and provides access to information about how our towns and cities grew and the lives we lived in these spaces. As humans we have had a need and natural curiosity about the space we live in and to explore that beyond our reach. We are already mapping the roads from Earth to other planets in our solar system and specific places on those planets. It brings to mind many questions, of what have we learned from our home planet and how can we be better stewards of this amazing planet and what we have yet to explore. Visit the Maps Blog"Worlds Revealed" Maps and Library blog at the Library of Congress.