As someone who may love gardening you know the importance of honey bee pollination, be you a
flower, vegetable and/or fruit gardener. No doubt you have noticed that you do not have as many honey
bees tripping about in your own garden as in years past.

You most likely have heard of CCD [ Colony Collapse Disorder ] decimating our bee population here
in the US. Incidentally, as of this writing, researchers still have not pinned down a cause for CCD.
Many think it is really a result of general distress caused by multiple factors such as , disease,
pesticides, mites that have emigrated here from Asia, etc. The result is that we need more people to
keep their own bees.

Why not start your own bee hive or two ? It makes sense does it not ? Almost anyone can become a
beekeeper. And, it does not matter if you live in a rural setting, in the midst of a suburban area, or in a
high rise in the middle of New York City. Bees can be kept anywhere that plant life thrives.

Beekeeping is an activity for all, be you a man, woman or child and it is immaterial if you are nine
years old or seventy five years old. You can even have a severe physical handicap as long as you have
some form of mobility and a friend to help lift a heavy box for you. If you are clever and inventive
maybe you can even figure a way around that limitation.

First, learn all you can about honey bees and beekeeping. Visit your local library and check out what
they have on hand on beekeeping. The Internet is a gold mine of information for beginners to advanced
beekeepers. A popular beekeeping magazine especially written for the hobbyist beekeeper is Bee
Culture. You can find Bee Culture on-line by doing a search. Some of their articles are available in their
entirety on-line and others are only available by subscribing to the magazine. You can also subscribe
on-line to the editors free 'Catch The Buzz' newsletter. Search for 'beginning beekeeping' information
by using Google or your own favorite search engine.

Poke around the area where you live and see if you can find any local beekeepers as they love to help
people get into beekeeping. They may well be able to tell you about the existence of a local area bee
club or association. Many of these associations conduct a winter 'Bee School' for folks interested in
honey bees and/or becoming a beekeeper. If you spot a bee hive in someone's yard while driving
around, do stop and introduce yourself as this is a great way to meet a local beekeeper.

Once you have your own beehive(s) you have a personal unique source of honey. Your own bottled honey makes a great gift very much appreciated by the recipient. You can also sell your excess honey by the roadside or wherever. That makes a nice way to help pay for your beekeeping equipment.