1. Bees die. Sometimes they die as part of the natural life cycle and are carried out of the hive by coroner bees. Sometimes whole hives die from cold or starvation, the fate of the bees kept on our property the last two winters respectively. Dead hives are fascinating and beautiful in their own morbid way.

2. Bees can come in a box. Thousands of them hum around a queen trapped in a smaller cage inside the box. The community vibrates, singularly focused on surrounding their leader. Some people find the boxes unnerving, but I feel like they're a fascinating example of the possibility of community.

3. Bees thrive in community. Our friend Eve is the main caretaker of the bees on our property. Alex, Lil, and I assist Eve when we can, including building a new hive and helping install new bees this spring. Family, friends, and visitors watch, learn from, and share the sweetness of bees together.

4. Keeping bees requires a brave, gentle spirit. Eve embodies this calming attitude every time I see her work with the bees. Hives often send out a scout to check out visitors and I've watched them send additional bees to check out a nervous visitor. I take deep slow breaths to calm the scout and they generally let me sit very close to the hive to watch. If the bees don't seem to want me there, I leave respectfully.

5. We need bees and bees need us. Many produce plants need pollinators to produce abundant crops, which is one of many reasons we keep them. We like to eat their honey too, of course. On the flip side, bees, particularly honey bees, need protection from pesticides and food and water sources. We choose to encourage pollinators by not using chemicals that might affect bees and provide as many sources of pollen and nectar as we can.

What do you know about keeping bees?

Harmonious Homestead was settled by generations of creatures and people before us. If we steward it well, our land will provide for many future families. Put in a historical perspective, "our" land only belongs to us for a moment and is acted upon by many other creatures while we're here.

And that's why we share it with sustainably-minded folks who want to help this space reach its potential.

beekeeper showing girl hive

Eve, whom Rachel met through a parenting group years ago, located a top-bar hive of bees here in the spring. The are thriving, visibly pollinating the vegetable plants and ground-covering clover. If she visits when we're here, she answers our questions about beekeeping and shares in our wonder about all the aspects of the life of bees we can't know.

Joseph and Jen, the growers of Swainway Urban Farm, had a few excess seedlings needing a place to put down roots in June. We offered up our front yard which Joseph tilled and planted in six sixty-foot rows, seen below just after planting. The 'Swainway Annex', as we're calling it, is growing food where there once was grass. We intended to experiment with dry farming two rows of tomatoes but the weather (a rather fickle homesteading partner) had other ideas and the rows are flooded at the moment. Hopefully the sun will dry up the water and ripen the fruit soon.

Our families contribute moral support, creative and hard-working ethics, and occasional planting and harvesting help. Shawn and Gerry at City Folk's Farm Shop provide materials, hoop house help, and a venue for classes. Friends bring good cheer when they cavort in the natural playground and admire the chickens. Neighbors support us with inspiration, watchfulness and gifts of their excess.

We always envisioned a communal homestead. When we work together like Eve's bees, we learn, find joy, and reap rewards that would not be possible if we toiled alone.

We want to share our space with you too. Please come see the goings-on at 1224 E Cooke Rd Columbus Ohio 43224 this Saturday, July 13, from 3-5 pm.