Want a bee-utiful hobby that inspires you and supports the environment, too? Beekeeping is all the buzz. It’s a fascinating endeavor that not only improves the pollination of our local flowers and crops, but studies show beekeeping lessens stress and depression. “The bees make me slow down,” says Mary Gerstle of the bees she keeps. Watching the bees flying from flower to flower doing their pollinating work is a reminder of how interconnected we all are, Mary says. “I love that. Bees are just amazing.”
Beekeeping takes some pre-planning so Mary suggests reading up on bees and all the accessories this hobby demands. “You need to decide what type of beekeeping you’d like to do,” Mary says. This requires choosing your hives (the type and how many), the species of bees you’d like, and a safe space for them to live. The best time to begin is in the spring and there are great local beekeeping clubs like the Kentucky State Beekeeping Association where you can learn more about your new hobby and meet other bee enthusiasts. Mary’s favorite part about her pastime, besides the honey, is the bees themselves. “It’s the bees that bring me back,” Mary begins, “the more I began to deep dive into Mother Nature and things about bees, the more I was fascinated by them.”
By Tonilyn Hornung
P.S. You may also like this article Buzzing with Inspiration.
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