The Elvaton Apiary

I first became interested in beekeeping when I was in Cub Scouts during a visit to the county’s outdoor education center. A beekeeper gave a talk and then invited us into the bee yard (apiary). The beekeeper opened a hive and removed several frames of comb filled with honey. I was amazed by the number of bees in the hive and the process involved in making the honey.

I have always pictured myself keeping bees when I was older, and suddenly it seemed that notion could become a reality after a family vacation in 2006. We were vacationing in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania and one of the local attractions is Draper’s Super Bee Apiary. Not one to miss a chance at seeing bees and buying some honey, we stopped at the apiary after a day trip to Corning, New York.

Draper’s is a great place to see what happens at a large scale apiary and has an observation hive in the honey tasting room. The hive also has a webcam so you can take in the action from your house . We spent about 2 hours at Draper’s asking questions, watching the hive, and tasting honey. I bought a book published by Penn State and studied it for the remainder of the vacation. I was very eager to start a hive but felt I needed to learn more before I jumped in without fully understanding what is involved.

While at the Maryland State Fair in 2006 I found out about a beekeepers class hosted by the Anne Arundel Beekeepers Association. In 2007 I joined the Anne Arundel County Beekeeper’s Association and in 2008 I attended their short course. I installed my first package of bees in April 2008. The notion has become reality.

My plan is to start with a single hive and see how that works out. If the neighbors don’t complain and the hive thrives, I’ll add one or two more hives next year. The first hive will not be able to spare any honey until next year since they will be starting to build the hive right as the nector flow begins this spring. Good things come to those who wait and the honey will be that much sweeter!