Our 50,000 Giuseppes
We are becoming backyard beekeepers.
What started as curiosity has turned into a small experiment in stewardship, gardening, food, and learning how to live a little more closely with the landscape around us. A single healthy honey bee colony can include tens of thousands of bees, so we have started calling them our 50,000 Giuseppes.
This page is where we will document the process of bringing bees into our backyard: what we are learning, what surprised us, what worked, what did not, and what it means to care for a hive as part of our home landscape.
Our first hive is a Flow Hive, which appealed to us because of its design and the way it makes the honey harvesting process more approachable for beginners. It still requires real beekeeping, regular observation, and care, but it gave us a starting point that felt a little less intimidating. The hive itself became part of the excitement before the bees even arrived. We spent time figuring out where it should go, how it would sit in the yard, how the bees would move through the space, and how it could become part of the larger garden.
On May 7, we picked up our nuc. It was the first moment the idea became real. Until then, beekeeping had mostly been research, equipment, conversations, and anticipation. Suddenly, there was a living colony in our care, with frames of bees, brood, food, and a queen already working together as a tiny society. It felt exciting, slightly intimidating, and very much alive.
We installed the bees on May 9. That day felt like the true beginning. Opening the nuc, moving the frames into the hive, and watching the bees begin to orient themselves to their new home made the whole project feel less like a hobby and more like a responsibility. The backyard changed immediately. It was still the same yard, but now there was a new rhythm in it.
Beekeeping has already made us pay closer attention. We notice what is blooming. We notice where the sun falls. We notice the wind, the water, the fruit trees, and the quieter corners of the garden. The bees have made the yard feel more connected, not just to us, but to the larger living systems around it.
This is not just about honey. It is about learning how to care for something carefully. It is about watching, adjusting, and understanding that the landscape is not just a backdrop. It is habitat, food, shelter, and home.
The Giuseppes are here.
What started as curiosity has turned into a small experiment in stewardship, gardening, food, and learning how to live a little more closely with the landscape around us. A single healthy honey bee colony can include tens of thousands of bees, so we have started calling them our 50,000 Giuseppes.
This page is where we will document the process of bringing bees into our backyard: what we are learning, what surprised us, what worked, what did not, and what it means to care for a hive as part of our home landscape.
Our first hive is a Flow Hive, which appealed to us because of its design and the way it makes the honey harvesting process more approachable for beginners. It still requires real beekeeping, regular observation, and care, but it gave us a starting point that felt a little less intimidating. The hive itself became part of the excitement before the bees even arrived. We spent time figuring out where it should go, how it would sit in the yard, how the bees would move through the space, and how it could become part of the larger garden.
On May 7, we picked up our nuc. It was the first moment the idea became real. Until then, beekeeping had mostly been research, equipment, conversations, and anticipation. Suddenly, there was a living colony in our care, with frames of bees, brood, food, and a queen already working together as a tiny society. It felt exciting, slightly intimidating, and very much alive.
We installed the bees on May 9. That day felt like the true beginning. Opening the nuc, moving the frames into the hive, and watching the bees begin to orient themselves to their new home made the whole project feel less like a hobby and more like a responsibility. The backyard changed immediately. It was still the same yard, but now there was a new rhythm in it.
Beekeeping has already made us pay closer attention. We notice what is blooming. We notice where the sun falls. We notice the wind, the water, the fruit trees, and the quieter corners of the garden. The bees have made the yard feel more connected, not just to us, but to the larger living systems around it.
This is not just about honey. It is about learning how to care for something carefully. It is about watching, adjusting, and understanding that the landscape is not just a backdrop. It is habitat, food, shelter, and home.
The Giuseppes are here.