Buzzy Ideas - Finding My True Calling

After years of meandering around with different ideas, I think I have finally zeroed in on what I would love to do once I am freed of this regular humdrum of a 10-5 job. I have decided that I will become a beekeeper i.e., I will start an apiary. The idea, at least for me, certainly does have a certain buzz to it. Why? Several reasons.

Bees love good weather and so do I

Like me, bees love good weather. So if I wanted to start keeping bees, I'd have to relocate to a climate that would suit me as well as the bees. Which means that I can escape the summer heat waves of the Indian plains and plateaus. Plus, I can be far away from the madding crowd. And keep the crowds at a safe distance too. 

Apiary is better than a cattle farm 

Being a fan of Westerns (spaghetti and otherwise), for a long time I seriously toyed with the idea of chewing on cheroots, wearing stetsons, hip holsters and lassos and riding one horse-powered horses. However, after reading about troubles with big cattle farms and their even bigger carbon footprints, I was a little put off. Plus, managing a supply chain of animal fodder and dairy output is a logistical nightmare even if you happen to be a lasso throwing, stetson wearing, cheroot chewing horseman.

Bees on the other hand, mind their own business (I think). They search for their own food, work on their own hives (as long as they aren't provoked, again I think) and of course do a whole world of good by pollinating the flora around the area. And at the end of it all, you get your fair share of their hard work for treating their queen like one. Nice creatures.

Bees keep people away 

A big incentive. Someone you are not a big fan of wants to visit you for holidays? No problem. Just let them know that the bees are behaving strangely this year and there is every possibility that unsuspecting visitors might receive more than their fair share of bee stings. And soon enough you'll stop getting those calls for invites. In my opinion, there can never be a bigger deterrent than the thought of an angry swarm of bees coming after you.

Bees bring people together

By the same token, you can always invite people (you'd love to hang around with) over by saying, 'Let's make some honey, honey!' Okay, that was kinda cheesy but the end result will not be Parmesan or mozzarella, that's for sure.

Bees make people talk about birds and bees

Well, not exactly in that sense but more from an environmental awareness kind of way. On the other hand, it sure would be fun to see parents squirming to explain about birds and bees to their kids when they'd visit the bee farm. Tee hee!

Profit or not, there will not be a bitter aftertaste

Well, yes, profits would matter, but regardless of the toplines or the bottomlines there wouldn't be a bitter aftertaste at the end of the day. You'd still put some honey on the table to wipe out any bitterness off the balance sheet.

Bees would put a DSLR to good use

I recently discovered that there exists a branch of photography called macro-photography (no wonder they call me a noob when it comes to photography!). Apparently this is a good hobby to pick up if you happen to have a DSLR (which I happen to have) and if you are surrounded by tiny fellas like spiders, bugs, insects, bees, etc. So, one shot two birds erm.. bugs.

The most logical man there ever was became a beekeeper

And here's the kicker, the mother of all reasons. The most logical man there ever was, that famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, retired to the chalk cliffs of Dover to become a beekeeper. Can there be a bigger excuse than this to start an apiary? It was purely elementary to start with!

Now there's a bee in my bonnet.