22 May 1, 2014 2014 SPRING HOME AND GARDEN “OUT OF THE ORDINARY” LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.COM
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Besides playing a big part in our food
chain, bees are entertaining.
We all know that bees are fascinating
creatures — “busy as a bee” — with
every bee colony supported by a highly
sophisticated hierarchy of position
and purpose, from slave to the one and
only queen per hive, to the minions of
specific-duty laborers. The activity at a
hive offers hours of entertainment to the
diligent observer.
Keeping a hive is primarily a low-
maintenance activity, and it offers sweet
dividends too.
One of the more sensitive times to check
a hive is toward the end of winter to see
how the food reserves are holding up. If
the food supply has dwindled, it may be
necessary to feed your bees with some of
the reserved honey or a “simple syrup.”
Along with hosting a home for highly valued
insects essential to seed and fruit production,
you might even “bee” starting a new family
heritage.
The Leonard family in southern Logan County
is in its fourth generation as beekeepers, with
the next generation in the wings for training.
Corey Leonard said that while his
