The United Nations has designated May 20 as World Bee Day in order to increase awareness about the crucial role of pollinators, the challenges they encounter, and their contribution to sustainable development. In concert with the celebration, Home Depot’s Gina Lees shares her beekeeping journey with a few helpful beekeeping tips.
Gina Lees is a senior human resources manager who oversees the development and talent programs for supply chain associates. When she’s not at work, Gina enjoys filling her garden with pollinator-friendly plants and flowers. She has also taken up beekeeping and has become quite passionate about it.
“I had the opportunity to work with a stellar general manager who was a beekeeper, and he would share stories about the process, the science and the bees. I was intrigued, and my husband was equally interested. We thought it would be a fun hobby we could do together. This is our 6th year as beekeepers, and we are far from experts. Each year we learn how to do something a bit better and take better care of our queens and their hives.”
Gina’s Top Tips for Success
- Bees are going to do what bees are going to do.
- Becoming a successful beekeeper doesn’t have a single route. You can gather knowledge from various sources such as reading beekeeping books, watching videos, joining local apiary groups, and more. By doing so, you can learn numerous best practices to ensure your bees remain healthy and flourish.
- It’s called beekeeping for a reason. It is a hobby that is not continuously laborious but does consist of required activities that can be time consuming on an intermittent basis.
- The cost to get started as a beekeeper will feel expensive due to purchasing bees, brood boxes, frames, equipment, apparel, etc., but it will pay dividends when you harvest the honey, aka liquid gold.
“Learning about and working with bees is so fascinating. Bees are incredible: each bee has a specific job that contributes and is integral to the survival of the hive. Additionally, the energy and effort pay off when the honey is harvested. The honey is delicious, and we enjoy gifting it to friends and neighbors. This year, we learned to render beeswax from the capped comb we removed during harvesting.”
If you’re interested in beekeeping supplies, visit homedepot.com for all your needs.
Image Credits
In-Article Image Credits
Long-tongued Amegilla cingulata bee on long tube of Acanthus ilicifolius flower via Wikimedia Commons by Chiswick Chap with usage type - Creative Commons License. May 1, 2013Gina's top tips for beekeeping success via Home Depot with usage type - News Release Media
Featured Image Credit
Long-tongued Amegilla cingulata bee on long tube of Acanthus ilicifolius flower via Wikimedia Commons by Chiswick Chap with usage type - Creative Commons License. May 1, 2013
