Things sure have changed since my last visit to Ruhl Bee Supply. Last year around this time I was nervously following The Renaissance Man into this huge warehouse building full of honeybee supplies. I had no idea what I was doing and was convinced we were getting in way over our heads with this whole “Beekeeping Thing.”

I’m happy to report that this year I felt like a seasoned pro! We must have spent two hours perusing the store and slowly filling our carts with new honeybee equipment. Just look at all of those supplies.

Now don’t get me wrong, I still spent a bunch of time checking out all of the books and knick knacks…I love to shop! But I also had heard about or had seen almost every “bee type item” in the store!? What a difference a year can make.

I can attribute my quick learning curve to all of the different beekeeping accounts I’ve been following on social media. I like to follow beelocal since they’re local beekeepers in the Portland area, wellingtonapiary because it’s interesting to get a “world away” perspective on beekeeping, and my very favorite Instagram account is girlnextdoorhoney.

Girlnextdoorhoney has amazing photos and she does a fantastic job making beekeeping approachable. She posts tons of informative tidbits about beekeeping with every photo and I’ve even managed to get The Renaissance Man thinking about starting an Instagram account!

Ruhl Bee Supply provided me with so much inspiration…the crafting possibilities are endless when it comes to packaging and labeling honey, making signs, and honeybee friendly artwork.

I’m especially looking forward to the coming summer because I’ll be managing two of my very own hives! After watching and documenting The Renaissance Man last year, I decided to get involved. Below is a picture of Cart #1 full of kits to build the different frames I’ll need for my hives.

I see many hours of nailing and hammering in my future…thankfully I know a pretty great guy who’ll help me out!

And here is Cart #2. You can see my new woven beekeeping hat along with beeswax foundation (the black sheets) and swienty feeders.

Not shown in this picture are my two “upgraded” hive bodies. The hive bodies actually have viewing windows into the hives so you can see the bees move about as they fill up the honeycomb. Imagine it being similar to an ant farm. The hive bodies were a total splurge, but I can’t wait to look into the box without opening it and see honeybees moving about.  I’ll be sure to share pictures and videos when we get our Italian Bee Packages in April!

Oh and since I’ll have my very own hives, you can bet that I’ll be doing some custom painting! Right now I’m thinking about light blues and turquois with yellow accents. The possibilities are endless and I just know I’m going to have a blast making them beautiful!

I’m taking suggestions on colors if anyone has any recommendations…

Is it April yet? Sure feels like it…I’m ready for my honeybees!