by Nutmegger » Wed May 01, 2013 6:28 pm
I would like to second (third, whatever) the idea of bees. There are tons of items to be used in their keeping (smokers, for example), and equally many items to be manufactured, beyond those mentioned. The honey could be a great ingredient for the pastries, or could be fermented. The wax was used for soaps and perfumes, salves, seals, etc. There is the whole venom/antivenom path like you have with the snakes. As someone who lives in New England, I can tell you that the yellow-jacket colonies which nest in holes in the ground are just nasty.