In the idyllic setting of Lisa Manning’s garden, the space is tranquil with buzzing — not of cell phones vibrating, but of industrious bees bustling about their work. Lisa has always had a profound love of gardening. Learning from her grandfather — an incredible gardener in his own right — she kept indoor and outdoor container plants before she owned a home, using her grandfather’s gardening style as her guide. Her grandfather also kept bees, so — when the time was right — Lisa introduced bees to her garden oasis.

Her love for beekeeping is evident as she shares interesting facts about bees. Of particular interest is that — of the 40,000 to 60,000 bees that may occupy one hive — 99 percent of those bees are female. These hardworking ladies form a cohesive team with jobs including wax production, tending young larvae, food storage, foraging, guarding the hive, and grooming and attending to the queen. Additionally, the worker bees are there to run the hive and to decide when it is time for an established queen to step down and a new queen to take her place. Individual worker bees visit a few thousand flowers per day, while the colony as a whole can visit up to 225,000 flowers in a single day. All of this hard work pays off, as a hive produces between 600 and 800 pounds of honey in a single season.

Some of the best advice Lisa has received has been to enjoy the bees. She has a profound love of bees and works to create a beautiful garden home for them. Lisa’s also learned just how clever bees can be. Once, in an effort to prevent any bees from getting into her suit as she worked with a hive, Lisa tied strings, fastened the Velcro and made sure all openings were closed. However, curiosity got the best of a bee as one discovered a small opening between zipper and Velcro, making their way inside Lisa’s hood. Lisa’s husband — and a neighbor or two — were treated to quite the show as Lisa struggled to get out of the suit that she had so carefully secured.

One of the many joys she has discovered about bees is that they work together like a single organism. The harmony of a hive inspires Lisa, who says, “If the world could operate like a hive, the world would be a better place.”