It's a Sign! — Home Sweet Bees

My new Bluebird Gardens apiary signs. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

It’s a Sign!

Delivery trucks are regular visitors to my house. Most know that my driveway is not a U turn; it’s not designed to carry heavy vans and it’s located uphill from one of my apiaries.

This particular delivery van driver was new but not so new that he had been told not to drive down my gravel driveway. He also did so when I was working the closest hive so bees were actively flying around the area.

I found the driver at a neighbor’s house claiming he had been stung several times. When I asked to see where he had been stung he pointed to one area on his ear lobe. There was no sting there but I treated it anyway and reminded him he should not be driving his heavy van down my small gravel driveway.

So after I maneuvered his van out of my driveway, I decided it was time to put up more signs. I live on a dead end street and all of my neighbors know me as the “bee lady.” Nevertheless, I thought it was time I put up signs that honor the work bees are doing without being scary, a gentle reminder of sorts that I am a bee lover and there are honey bees on the property.

Most of the available signs are directive and include “no trespassing.” Since I was going to be the one looking at these signs most of the time, I chose a more friendly route. Here is one of the first signs I put up in my apiary many years ago.

This is a more typical sign noting bees in the area. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

After a brief search, I found the “Honey Bees at Work” signs that now mark my two apiaries. The signs are bright and easy to see and honor the work bees do. And I like seeing them!

My new apiary signs honor the bees without being threatening. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins0

To make sure the clear path was obvious, I added a garden flag that reminded visitors there are bees on the property and that this was a safe path to use.