there's a new queen bee in Chicago!

(No, this bee is not from Illinois, but Georgia. I wrote about him here. I just thought the photo was appropriate for this post, too.)

Today, I received an email that made me cry.
Tears of happineess, tears of joy, tears of gratitude.
Thank you, Jana, for sharing your news... and making me part of it.
This is truly why I support projects on kickstarter. I want to believe that Mama's money is helping people achieve their dreams, make a difference, pay it forward.

Update #12
Jul 25 2014 1:40 PM
Third Summer

Hello Backers,

I just wanted to share some thoughts I had the other day.

I was out checking on two of my hives down in Fuller Park, one of which was queenless. Sometimes hives become queenless because she gets squished or injured, sometimes it's just a mystery. This time, I had killed her. She wasn't a good queen. She didn't lay eggs consistently, and earlier in the year the colony had sacbrood. Since the queen is the only bee laying eggs in the whole hive, a viral disease like sacbrood originates with the queen. It was a painful Executive Decision but I knew it would be better for the colony in the long run.

After I got rid of the original queen, we transferred over queen cells (young, pupating queens) from the other healthy hive nearby. Soon a virgin queen would emerge from one of those cells, and after she's mated, the colony would accept her as the new matriarch. I left the garden, and hoped that everything would go as planned.

I came back a week later, and even though I knew a queen had already emerged, they are so small before they are mated and laying eggs that it's hard to spot them. They look like any other worker bee — almost. But, I just wanted to peek inside the hive anyways. I opened up the hive and carefully removed a frame, and OH MAN! I spotted the virgin queen! There she was, looking trim and not quite regal yet. How on EARTH did I spot her? And how lucky was I... She was on the first frame I grabbed! She walked amongst the other worker bees, who don't regard her with much respect yet. I can't explain it, but, queen bees, even when not yet mated, walk around with this... "air" about them. Like they have something on their mind. I mean, I know they don't, but I was so impressed by my trained eye that I could spot her.

I carefully put the frame back into the hive, closed the lid, and got on my bike. The sun was shining and just starting to get low in the sky; it was a heavenly Chicago summer afternoon. I was done with beekeeping for the day, and what a perfect way to end it. Getting to see a virgin queen, one small insect that was about to make a dangerous journey out of the hive to mate with neighborhood drones. I couldn't believe it. Suddenly I became overwhelmed with emotions (this happens often while beekeeping) and I started to cry. I thought about how this is my life now. That I get to do this every week and that it's the most fulfilling thing I have ever done.

I want to share this because I would not be beekeeping in this capacity if it wasn't for my Kickstarter backers. You guys LITERALLY (and I am using this word appropriately) changed my entire life. You, who donated a little bit of money, collectively changed my life. I wanted to share this because my project was a unique one... It wasn't a product or an event, it was an ambitious idea that I couldn't do by myself. You really took a risk with this one, but there is so much your money has done.

Not only has it changed my life, it's changed the lives of countless urban gardeners, neighbors, and community groups who now have a positive relationship with pollinators. Children all over Chicagoland who were once scared now care about bees now because of Bike a Bee, or as they know me, "the bee girl." Bike a Bee's education efforts are the most important aspect of the project for me.

On a personal level, my favorite accomplishment with Bike a Bee has been mentoring Abby, an intern I took on last year. Abby worked with me almost every day I went beekeeping last year, and I got to see her turn into a fantastic beekeeper. She even got to be a part of the business side, helping us become a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit. This year, Abby is caring for her own Bike a Bee hives and also beekeeping with me (we really love working together). The other night she told me she couldn't imagine a life without beekeeping. So not only did you change my life, you changed Abby's.

The long and short of it is: I don't think a lot of people on Kickstarter realize that they are changing people's lives when they throw $20 at a project. I just wanted to remind you that you are, and while I am enjoying my third summer beekeeping, I want to thank you with all of my heart for backing this project back in the winter of 2012.

- Jana (+ the bees)

I am so touched that she wrote this, to share her news and her gratitude.
Her mother must be very proud of her - I am.