BeeKeeping Photo Shoot from Hendrix College. I'm in the brochure.
I am a twenty something living in New Orleans and I just started my first bee hive in April of this year. I read that you should keep a log of your bees and since pen and paper sounded so old fashion, I decided to keep a blog about my bee keeping adventures, a Bee-Log if you will – b’log.
About Me.
My bee keeping interests started six years ago when I helped my friend Peach harvest honey with his dad in Kansas. Back at school, Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, we decided to start a bee keeping club of our own. Hendrix College was the perfect place for a bee keeping club, we got tons of money from the student activities fund and had over 40 people sign up at the club fair (which is a lot considering Hendrix’s enrollment is around 1200 students).
So that was the beginning of my bee keeping experience and I have wanted to keep my own bees since I left school. I bought a house in New Orleans last year and I knew that this spring there would be no more excuses.
I bought all my wooden ware and hive stuff from Betterbee. It took me a month or two of calling around to finally find some bees. I bought my bees from a bee exterminator, Jeff Armstrong, who is really just a bee mover: taking bees from peoples houses and bringing them to a new home. Jeff was wonderful and has come by to check on my bees twice now.
About my bees.
My first hive, named Delilah, may be the calmest bees I have ever encountered. They seem to know I am new at this and they are very forgiving. I started this hive in late April and Delilah has been very good to me, although I have been somewhat of a disaster. Feeling like an experienced bee keeper with three years under my belt, I really jumped right into this adventure, but I have to say, bee keeping alone (as apposed to having 20 club members around) is much more difficult and has lead to some pretty stupid mistakes.
I started my second hive, LaDonna, was established in early June.
Bonbeelog's Blog 
Hi Bonnie: Ann sent me the link you your blog, which I just read, as I’ve been away from the computer for a few days. I had no idea you were keeping bees. We have had hives on our ranch for a number of years now and have supplied honey to Granny and Pappa and other family members over the years. Mark always gives them enough honey to pass on Ann, Pam and Doug so you may have eaten some of it in the past. The hives don’t belong to us, but since we have natural “bee food” on the ranch, including many mesquite trees, a local beekeeper has placed his hives on our property year after year. Last year, we had a severe drought and not much for the bees to work with, so he transported his hives up north for the season. We get paid in honey for the use of our property. There are usually twenty to thirty hives out there at a time. The bees are very gentle and don’t bother the cattle or horses. I have always been intrigued by bee’s organizational skills and how diligently they go about their work. I’m sure you’ve read the book, “The Secret Life of Bees” but if by chance, you haven’t read it, I think you would enjoy it. I’m glad you are doing well and will keep following your blog. Love, Sally
I’ll be checking back on you and your bees. fasinating!
Mr. D