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NEW ZEALAND BEEKEEPER, JULY 2017
Ella Nelson (aged 8) with her observation hive. Photos by Dr Jenny Nelson.
Sheep Scientist for the Meat and Livestock Commission. The MLC, as it was known, was recognised as being at the forefront of research in agriculture in the United Kingdom. I had a large budget at my disposal and commissioned research in all sorts of fields— many of which are just being picked up in New Zealand now. In 2001, a Foot-and-Mouth disease outbreak occurred, and the devastation of its aftermath to the countryside was immense. I was stuck in an office, and basically my job was put on hold. Farmers who were my friends lost their entire livelihoods. I asked for, and was granted sabbatical leave so I could “pop down to New Zealand, and have a look at what they are up to”. I duly popped down to New Zealand, met a man, got married and never went back. The man and I met in Southland, but returned to the King Country where he hailed from. We farmed in the King Country for a couple of years, managing one of his family’s farms. We had hives on the farm. Did that spark an interest in bees? Nope. But my husband and his parents were interested in bees, and producing honey. With large-scale farming, the use of bees as pollinators to help clover production appealed to them. The three of them went on a beekeeping course, and started to dabble with a few hives. Was I interested or tempted to join them? Nope! Still no interest there. The beehive numbers grew. I would avoid their conversations and excited chats about apiary matters. I tried to stay out of it, and to leave them to their growing sideline. Yet, of course, I got sucked in.
with some hives in the garden. I got myself a really good hive tool and smoker. I made an observation hive so, of course, the kids got interested. They got suits and hive tools. We would go out as a family and look in the beehives. The kids got jars of drones to play with. I started to dabble more and more. We reared a few queens. I read more, I learnt more. I went to the annual conference, and got a bit more excited. I would look forward to The New Zealand Beekeeper journal coming through the mailbox. It became more and more of an addiction. I read more and more, just wanting to absorb everything I could. My scientific brain that had lain dormant for a while started to kick in again and I actually regretted not having looked into this before. All the signs and hints from the cosmos had been there for me; I just hadn’t picked up on it earlier. I saw an ad in the Beekeeper journal for someone to help with proofreading. My addict brain jumped at this chance, as it meant I could read the content a fortnight earlier. What a nerd! The science of beekeeping is immense. Just perfect for a woolly thinker like myself! [Editor’s note: the Publications Committee is very pleased that Jenny jumped at the opportunity to assist with the proofreading starting in September 2015. Thanks for your ongoing contribution and for sharing your story: bees are such little seductresses!
It started with my husband asking me how to melt wax. I never gave it a second thought but told him to get a tin can, put the wax in the bottom and put the bottom of the tin in a pan of hot water till it melted. I thought he was going to make a candle. Off he went. Then he came back about 15 minutes later.
“It’s not enough,” he said.
“Not enough for what?” I asked.
He replied,“Do you have an electric frying pan? That would be big enough”. (I think I swore audibly at that stage, as he had interrupted my Monday night television extravaganza of “Criminal Minds”/”CSI” double bill.) I went out to the garage. There were blobs of wax over the top of the dog meat freezer. I was not impressed. He had a small paintbrush and a plastic frame. “There must be a quicker way,” he said. The next day I became the official frame waxer. I devised an uber-fast way with a wee production line that involved melting and rolling, turning the frames over, rolling and melting. I progressed up in status to assembling bee boxes. Gradually, I started to get slightly interested in bees. At first, it was basic stuff. Just stuff, so I could keep up with their conversations. Of course, like any good addict, I could have given up at any time at that stage. I read a few books and learnt the basics, the do’s and don’ts. Then I found myself enrolling on a beekeepers’course, which I thoroughly enjoyed to my surprise. I got myself a suit and I started to dip into the practical side. I would find myself playing
Do you have a tale to tell about your entry into the bee industry? If so, e-mail editor@apinz.org.nz ]
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