Daimon and I have been together for many years, and for half of those years he has been a beekeeper. Mostly known as a local artist and musician, it is usually a pleasant surprise for people to learn that Daimon is actually quite knowledgable about bees, their production of honey, and the threats that face the bee population today.
Here's some common questions Daimon gets about his hobby.
How did you get started doing this?
In 2005 I met an old Ukrainian couple from Jackson who were always seen together whenever they would come to the Forestry Center/Tree Nursery in Jackson where I worked. I was eventually introduced and they invited me to their home to have a homegrown breakfast in exchange for some help with there bees. It was a really rewarding experience, so I decided to have my own hives.
What do you have to do to keep bees?
Every weekend starting from March 1st to September 30th, I light up my smoker with dried leaves and newspaper, put on my beekeeping suit, and enter the home of my bees in my own backyard. I find myself learning valuable life lessons from honeybees that are not as easily learned with people. For example, I’ve learned from honey bees is that the more you live the less you die and you can sit around and wait for opportunity to find you, you have to go out and find it yourself. After all, the flowers aren’t going to come to the hive.
How much honey do you get?
I got started doing this 4 years ago and have only had 2 successful years with lots of honey at the end of the summer. You win some and lose some, but I still consider myself a hobby beekeeper at most and have a lot of learning to do. Understanding the art and science of beekeeping is very difficult and can take years of experience to master. By the first week of August, I will know if I receive a payment of honey for the season. The bees need to survive the winter on 4 to 4.5 gallons of honey. If they have more (usually about 2- 2 1/2 gallons), then I can start the extracting process and keep some for myself.
Does that "smoker thing" harm the bees?
Although it may seem disorienting when I blow smoke into the hive I’m doing it so the hive doesn’t feel threatened by my presence. It’s a common misconception that in order to maintain a beehive that there is some kind of harm to the bees involved in the process. I assure you that I do my very best to make my bees feel at home so they don’t feel threatened to sting me. When a bee stings a predator its stinger comes off of its body and the bee will die shortly after. Preventing territorial behavior is important when beekeeping because the bees need to know that I’m not breaking into there home but instead that im just doing a weekly maintenance check.
What does the queen bee look like? Have you ever seen her?
Yes, she's larger and noticeably different from the other bees. It's exciting when I can spot her among hundreds of bees. The queen of the hive is the most respected bee in the colony. Even though over 90% of the hive is made up of woman she’s the only one who can make babies. In the unfortunate circumstance that the queen dies the worker bees will have to feed a larva a special food called royal jelly to create a new queen. This is very necessary to the survival of the hive.
I love this picture of him because he's so casual about maintaining the hive. Look how brave! No shoes, gloves or netting around the face!
One summer we had this much honey! If you take a spoonful of local honey a day, it will help prevent allergies. It's true!
Bees are so incredibly interesting, and are unlike any organisms in the world. They are the only animals with a concept of shape, and without them we would hardly have fruits and vegetables. They see all colors except for red, and their social structure is so interesting that you would think that people are not much different! I love all the terminology too: just google "Royal Jelly".
I used to have a profound fear of being stung by wasps and bees. Since Daimon started this hobby and he's suited me up like an astronaut, I have been able to get closer and closer to the hive without wearing the suit. It's been a rewarding experience having a bee charmer in my life :)
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