Jessica has been a beekeeper for five years now and absolutely loves her hives. This year, her apiary bloomed from four hives overwintered to now eleven.

It all began with a fascination for nature and the vital role honeybees play in pollinating our crops. I decided to dive in headfirst and purchased two hives my first year. Unfortunately, that first year did not go as planned, I lost both hives over the winter. I didn’t let that deter me. The next spring, I purchased another two colonies, but Mother Nature had other plans, and I lost them again that winter.

I couldn’t figure out why my beloved honeybees weren’t surviving through the cold months, so I decided to join a local beekeeping club in my home county. Each month, we meet with a different speaker and cover different topics. The third time around, I purchased two more batches of honeybees for my hive boxes. As winter approached, our club discussed what was needed to successfully overwinter bees. I put that knowledge to use, and the following spring, my bees were thriving, they had made it through the winter!

Since then, things have been on the up and up… with the exception of this past spring. The cold weather lasted longer than usual here in Ohio, which was tough on the hives. Thankfully, things are turning for the better. The goldenrod is starting to bloom, and our bees are packing in the honey they’ll need to sustain and nourish themselves throughout the upcoming winter.