A very unexpected event happened the other day. My friend and neighbor decided to try his luck in another country and left me his apiary as a legacy.
To say that I was surprised is to say nothing. I had a little beekeeping experience, but not particularly successful. About 4 years ago I had three hives, but I gave them to a friend and that was the end of it.
A couple of years ago I trapped a swarm of bees, but these bees were killed by a hornet, so I'm not OK with beekeeping. Plus, I'm allergic to bee venom. Huge edemas does not go away for 4 days.
But then suddenly I had an apiary for more than 50 beehives + a beekeeper's house and all the accompanying tools.
Having gathered the courage, my wife and I decided to do this business together. The responsibilities were divided so as to minimize the risk for me - it will be stupid to die from anaphylactic shock.
Therefore, I do all the physical work - pumping honey, carrying frames, repairing hives, waxing frames and re-digging wax, and she will conduct inspections of hives, treat bees, etc.
I am sure that we will succeed, but we will have to put a lot of effort into putting the apiary in order, updating tools and beehives.
Now I have a job for the whole winter.
Nothing like going from zero to 100. That is a LOT of hives to deal with. You've got one heck of a job cut out for you.
Yes, I have already assessed the scale of the work.
I love the honey and a little afraid to approach it.
It's actually not easy to keep bees because even I can't even think of such. It's actually good as you and your wife joined hands together to achieve a honey-making business. For the sake of your health, you can always go for a check-up.
What a windfall! Hope it all goes well for you guys.