Sunday, October 24, 2010

Hood Ponderings




To apiculture or not to apiculture? That bee the question.

Our neighbor, Mrs. K., already has chickens. She’s back up to six again after multiple accidental deaths and dismembeerments (aren’t there insurance policies for this sort of thing?). And if you’ve kept up with the Blue Mailbox, you are well aware of the chicken tragedy I experienced last year. Well, now that Mrs. K. has the chicken thing down, she wants to add beekeeping to her repertoire…and she wants us to bee a part of it. She says our backyard would bee the perfect spot. And if not in our backyard, then the site of our recently deceased 100+ year old oak tree, in the back alley, would also bee ideal.

This apiary question comes just as a Georgia man was attacked by a swarm of Africanized Beees – beetter known as Killer Bees.The poor guy was just out working in his yard and accidently disturbeed their hive. He was stung over 100 times and later died.

At this point you might bee asking yourself “what’s the decision? ‘Not to bee’ seems pretty obvious, right?” Well, I’d bee pretty much with you if it weren’t for the whole crime scene around here. See, all of us neighbors that back up to the alley don’t have dogs to ward off criminals. Sure, we have chickens, cats, babies, children, prickly plants, power tools and water features…but no mean dogs to scare away the undesirables. And when the local Bee-P puts up a hand-made sign that pepper spray is sold at their establishment, I’m thinking “Beeware of Killer Bees” makes a way beeter sign than “Beeware of Dog”. Heck, maybee just the sign would work…we don’t actually have to start an apiary.

Decision made. No Bees.