Bees? Sure, I know all about bees

Valuable lesson from years gone by: Don’t write what I don’t know.

You’d think that’s a no-brainer, right? I shouldn’t write a plumbing blog (“Just Plumb Citrus”) because that’s not my expertise.

Some people wrongly assume I must be pretty smart to write what I do. Truth is, I know a little bit about a lot of things. Most of my actual smarts come from listening to other people. I try not to meander where I shouldn't.

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So, I’m not going to write much today about bees, honey, an apiary, or hives. I know virtually nothing about any of those things.

And I’d know even less had it not been one of those “where am I” photos posted on my blog a few weeks ago.

In what is becoming a fun Just Wright Citrus activity, I periodically post photos of locales in Citrus County to see if readers can identify them. One recent photo was a beware-of-bees sign on a fence.

A few people recognized it as being south of Floral City along U.S. 41, but the ones who REALLY noticed it were the owners of said bee sign.

Kate and Rickey Shew own Wild Water Apiary on their wooded property near Oak Forest. They invited me out to take a peek, and I brought a couple of Just Wright Citrus T-shirts.

Now. Bees. They sting, from what I’ve been told. And stings hurt, so they say. Since bees sting, and stings hurt, me and bees don’t play in the same sandbox.

To go out ON PURPOSE with bees, well, all I can say is that’s the power of JWC readership. 

I’d like to explain in detail how Rick explained the bee business to me, but the mistake factor on that is so high, I’m not even going to attempt it.

He drove me through the property to the batches of bee boxes. I didn’t get close enough to the bees to shake hands, or whatever it is bees shake when they’re friendly. He told me about the queen bee (best job in the colony), and the worker bees, and the drones which, from what I gather, are lazy male bees that exist solely to mate with the queen.

(Now you know what I know about bees. I probably got half of that wrong. See why I’m not on the bee beat?)

I took home a jar of Wild Water Apiary honey, which I’m enjoying immensely.

Rickey knows the bee business. His website and Facebook page are loaded with interesting posts and videos (check this out). It's encouraging to see a young family taking the plunge into a new way of life that’s clean, wholesome, and adventurous work.

I appreciate their kind gesture.

— Pardon the pun, but a mini-bee in my bonnet to end the week.

After finishing the first draft of today’s blog I took a drive to Crystal River (if you MUST know, it was to buy Buddy’s favorite treats. The local Publix didn’t have them). Alongside S.R. 44, from each direction to the landfill, are four of those awful electronic message boards telling motorists to COVER YOUR LOAD because IT’S THE LAW.

Two things:

One, talk about irony: Ugly message boards that litter our roadways being used to discourage people from littering our roadways.

Two, I am 100% behind any effort to cut down on littering, especially near the landfill. It’s clear that uncovered loads are a problem, as anyone driving through there knows. So, how about a true message: Warn them of the law, then issue tickets. Follow that with a press conference and a picture in the newspaper of the sheriff staring coldly at litterbugs.

Our uncovered load problem would disappear overnight. So would those hideous message signs.

That’s it for this shortened week. Enjoy your Citrus County spring weekend, friends.

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