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Anybody and everybody knows that homesteading isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s hard work. It’s a heavy responsibility. Whether you consider yourself a pro, or a beginner like myself, people will always face setbacks and loss. It’s been nearly a month now, since our area faced one of Montana’s most historical windstorms. Driving home that day, I was shocked at all the damage I saw. Trees torn up from their roots, laid across highways, roads and homes. The loss of electricity that had everyone searching for gasoline to fuel their generators. While our home witnessed damage as well, from trees blocking the driveway and taking out the neighboring utility lines that run across the river, it wasn’t until a few days later that tragedy truly struck this homestead.

An old, and rather large tree fell right on top of my honeybee hives. The damage was significant, as we tried to work our way through the debris to get to them. One hive was completely knocked over on its side. While it stayed mostly intact, as I ran up to that hive, all I saw were honeybees. Their little bodies covered the ground. They were instantly dying from the shock of the cold. The other hive was completely inaccessible. The trunk of the tree fell right on top of the box. As I crawled through the branches and snow, trying to scoop up the bees and put them back in their hive, I was overwhelmed with a sense of helplessness. We couldn’t do anything for them. Just the previous week, I opened the hives to feed them, and as I heard them all buzzing around and crawling up for the food, I thought to myself, “these guys might just make it, they look so healthy.” Mother nature has a humbling way of letting you know she’s in charge here.

We were able to move one hive out of harm’s way. But the other hive? All I could do was stuff straw around the trunk of the tree and hope for the best. Even if it was possible to move the tree, opening the hive to check on them would be the worst thing to do. Will they survive? I don’t know. Do I consider this a setback, did this make me afraid to continue my beekeeping journey? I still don’t know. But the love and support I’ve received convinced me to keep going, to rebuild and continue on. More bees are on the way should the two hives not make it. However, part of me is just optimistic enough to hope I will hear them buzzing again in the spring.

Miriah Kardelis is a modern homesteader who is always looking for new ideas. Reach her at [email protected].