My bee hives are each painted with different colors and designs to benefit both me and the bees. It’s easier for me to take notes and identify based on the hive color - and it doesn’t hurt that they act as garden art and blend beautifully with my yard. Honey bees can see color and identify basic shapes, so keeping each hive different helps minimize bees drifting between hives. Blue was my first hive, then purple. Yellow joined in the third year, and green has been the latest addition!

There are a few different races of the western honey bee; three of my hives are Italian and one hive is Carniolan. Generally speaking, my hives are gentle and my family and I are able to use our backyard with no problems. Our dogs have each been stung on the foot, but quickly learned to avoid the areas directly around the hives. Our neighbors are supportive of my bees and they are not a nuisance!

Honey bees forage up to three miles around their hives, so my bees have a variety of options in the many forest preserves in our area. We also live very close to the Morton Arboretum, where there are plenty of resources in trees and flowers as well.