A LITTLE ABOUT KAREN
One of my newer hobbies/passions is beekeeping. I visited a garden that interestingly enough had beehives integrated into the landscape design. That initial interest in bees and the healthy balance bees create, expanded to a deeper interest in finding out what the bees are doing, how they survive and how important they are to agriculture. I started attending meetings and lectures with the Backyard Beekeepers of CT, going to hands on seminars, reading books, and learning by doing. Last Summer, I hosted a movie screening at our local library of More Than Honey. Now, thankfully, I have a mentor who fills in all the unanswered questions (which are many) I have while working with the bees.
As much as beekeeping is a science, the weather and the pollinating flowers available is constantly changing. I never stop learning something new when I work with the bees; I currently have 4 hives. The Northeast climate is challenging for bees to survive & every year is different. Last Summer there was an abundance of goldenrod & queen Anne's lace in August and the bees were able to collect more than enough pollen to survive the Winter. This August however, there wasn't enough pollen to provide the stores the bees needed for the approaching Winter months.
I have lots of stories about bee keeping that involve 400 lb. black bears, hive swarms & honey harvests - I'll continue to add to this blog....the photo below is one I took after "re-queening" 2 hives after they swarmed this Spring.
As a designer and beekeeper, I tend to notice textiles, shapes of art & furniture and other bee references in all kinds of different places. When I see a reminder of the classic honeycomb design, I am re-inspired again by the bees and the incredible work they do. Recently, I noticed this lighting pattern & design in a NYC subway station as I was going up an escalator.
