The Beekeeper's Daughter

Yep that’s right my dad keeps bees. For about 13 years now I’ve been labeled as the beekeeper’s daughter. Now I am not saying it’s a bad thing, I’ve just run into a couple very interesting and sticky situations over the years…

The most frequently asked question I get is….”Have you ever been bit by a bee?”
(Now by this question I wonder if these people have taken biology at some point) I simply reply “nope, never been bit by a bee” …at this, they look at me with a very confused look but know for some reason, asking another question will place them in the category of "uneducated". I take pity and decide instruct them on what they seem to be lacking. “I’ve been STUNG by bees before.” I tell them “but never bit”

The second question I get is “So do you like honey?” I have to laugh. “Sure, I like it, I don’t eat a jar a day, but I like it.”

“Do you ever go out and work with the bees too?” they ask. I love the look on their face when I tell them “yep, I’ve been helping out since I can remember. And yes I have one of those white astronaut, marshmallow, Ku Klux, Klan, snowmen suits AKA bee suit” (note people have actually called our suits these names before)

The people who have passed biology ask some of these questions.
“How do you transport bees?” “Well we put the hives on a tractor trailer and away they go.”
“How do you keep them on the truck?” “A really big net”
How do bees know which house is theirs? “Well God gave them built in GPS”

To know what a few random every day events of my life is like…
I try to decipher the Russian lady’s order for honey on the phone…just hope I got the order right!! Arh!

My mom hopes some where out there is a beekeepers son...Me, not quite so sure about that plan.

After about 115+ trips from NY-> SC -> NY -> SC -> ME ->NY –>SC over and over again…well its no big deal at this point its like running to the grocery store.
(for those who don’t know, my family takes the honey bees south for the winter)

My dad tells me putting a few thousand labels on honey jars is just like putting stickers on letters. I use to be a big sticker fan and loved collecting them when I was a kid, some how they never seemed to be equivalent to stickers.

The local post office manager groans when he sees me arriving with 8 honey pails weighing 65.lb. For this means he must lift them all up on his scales and weigh each one to be mailed out.

Honey…well I am no longer surprised at where I find it…
Honey on my elbow, resulting in sticking to the table.
Honey on my shoes, results in me strapping my shoes to my feet to keep them on.
Honey on my fingers resulting in a sticky doorknob, light switch, facet...
Honey in my hair, ok I just give up.

But I have to say a little honey every day and life is sweet... :D