Beekeepers Professions

[BMH]

Civil Engineer. Chartered Project Manager. Work in Nuclear Decommissioning. Run 100 hives. 34 years to retirement. Not sure what day it is.

 

[jeff33]

I work in emergency planning and Coastal risk management. I used to travel a lot around Wales and work 2 days/week from home which gave me enough time to deal with the bees while still have time on the weekend to deal with my other hobbies. Since March I have been working from home full-time and increased to 20 hives in 2 out apiaries within 20min drive....not sure what will happen when we get back to normal, hopefully work 3 days /week from home so my other hobbies don't suffer!!

 

[Newbeeneil]

Started work as a civil engineer working on motorways, spent 12yrs building the M25 and spent longer parked on it in my subsequent career. Set up my own company within the construction industry and another in the renewable energy sector but got to 60 and decided I wasn't enjoying going to work any more so decided to retire. I'd taken up bees the year previous and loved it.
I spend my days tending my 40ish hives spread over 10 sites and looking after another 19 hives for clients who like to pay me for looking after their hives. Isn't it a bummer getting paid for your hobby?
Love to experiment with making any type of hive or beekeeping equipment and can turn my hand to most things as long as you don't require perfection.

 

[derekm]

A career in the electronics, telecoms and IT industries ending up in Senior Product management . The unsolved problem of Honey bees and heat transfer, which I first came across on beek taster day, meant I could return to study. This time for a doctorate in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Leeds

 

[BMH]

A career in the electronics, telecoms and IT industries ending up in Senior Product management . The unsolved problem of Honey bees and heat transfer, which I first came across on beek taster day, meant I could return to study. This time for a doctorate in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Leeds

I know this building well. I studied next door in the Civils department. Feel sorry for the students there now though! Must be rubbish

 

[deemann1]

I'm 38 living in co wicklow, carpenter joiner since the age of 15 .started beekeeping 3 years ago looking after 50 hives now got bee fever

 

[bobba]

Work full time - Study Director, Eco-toxicology. I am a long way from retiring - am 38 too.

My background is in Electronic engineering and am also a qualified electrician.

No c-19 working from home for me, my employer has put some plastic screens around the labs and office so we are all safe!

I have wanted to keep bees since I was about 8 years old. I asked my parents many times if I could get bees and the answer was always no.

I though how nice it would be to watch the bees flying around my garden, so took the plunge last year. Making honey was an after though. I have never bought a jar of honey my whole life. Looking back I should probably have just got a bumble be hive.

I have tried and failed to find a mentor. Had planned to join a local associations this year but they suspended meetings because of kung-flu, so have been going it alone.

I have 3 yo and 10 mo boys too. So looking after 4 hives and 2 little ones with full time work commitments has honestly been tough. I have to confess, I have struggled at times this year.

I was totally unprepared for how much time, effort and expense would be required to get set up for bees! But with the guidance of you-tube and this forum things have been going surprisingly well.

Luckily I am a fast learner who is very piratical with my hands, yet have still found it difficult to get started. Sometimes I see some of the experienced guys on here slamming unprepared noobs who give up (not to their faces, but general comments). Well I was almost one of them, so I take a more sympathetic stance.

I am far better prepared for next year, not only in terms of equipment, but more importantly knowledge. If I knew what I know now when I got my bees, this year would have been so much easier.

BMH - love your youtube channel. I particularly enjoyed the story of how you and you mate acquired your first hives lol.

 

[Nige.Coll]

Used to have a small engineering company but after 30+ years doing the job and some severe health issues I realised I needed a change.
I had started beekeeping as a hobby and built up around 50 colonies already.
Gave up the engineering and this year became a bee farmer currently running around 100 but aiming for 150 colonies probably end up with about 120 in reality. I'd like more but I have some health issues that prevent it.
Converted the workshop into a honey room and spent a lot of money lol.

 

[pnkemp]

Cyber security trainer, so beekeeping is a nice change of pace. Considered taking it up 5 years or so ago but never got around to it.

just the one hive shared with a friend (who has the land it sits on) but hoping to expand to two (my plan) or five (his idea) next year once we’ve had some training.

 

[pargyle]

I don't think there's enough time here to list my life's work, I made and lost two fortunes ... the first half of it was in sales and marketing of one sort or another, the latter half running and owning a company (as a workaholic) in the construction industry until the banks screwed me in the 2008 crash ...probably saved me from myself and took me into a different lifestyle and beekeeping. I'm 70 now and still work full time for the Police - can't tell you what I do or I'd have to shoot you. Hopefully I will retire eventually ... things have just got in the way.

 

[HughMann]

Cyber consultant, author, photographer, musician, now a newbee beek - due to 2 of my incomes being curtailed for the foreseeable and having the time.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Retired now, son of a market gardener but spent my working career in engineering and management then a few years training new entrants to the electrical industry before hanging up my hat. I had a tenant who wanted to keep bees and set up on my land but then lost interest when his bees died out of starvation first winter. I took up the baton and discovered how steep the learning curve is. My association provided good training and mentoring which I try to repay by now doing the same for new beekeepers.

 

[Curly green finger's]

I don't think there's enough time here to list my life's work, I made and lost two fortunes ... the first half of it was in sales and marketing of one sort or another, the latter half running and owning a company (as a workaholic) in the construction industry until the banks screwed me in the 2008 crash ...probably saved me from myself and took me into a different lifestyle and beekeeping. I'm 70 now and still work full time for the Police - can't tell you what I do or I'd have to shoot you. Hopefully I will retire eventually ... things have just got in the way.

And there was me thinking you were a pro chippy or something.. Very interesting this thread, very interesting.
I didn't realise there's quite a few on here from the force..

 

[Cefn Eithaf]

Retired now and running my smallholding with cattle, pigs, poultry and, of course bees. Try and grow all my own food. Got my original nuc from Peterbees, (thank you Peter) 15 years ago. Taken all the modules bar 8, which I was taking last March but keeps getting postponed due to blinking covid ! Did Gen husbandry 6 years ago.
Kidney transplant on July 21st 2019 and dialysis before that made things somewhat difficult but I'm doing great now ( if anyone is in that situation PM me, I have been through the whole loop and help my local renal unit by attending open days for renal patients providing first hand experience).
I love my bees and and am constantly learning. Even the most experienced of us still have things to learn and I appreciate this forum and the opportunity to help and learn each other.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Kidney transplant on July 21st 2019 and dialysis before that made things somewhat difficult but I'm doing great now ( if anyone is in that situation PM me, I have been through the whole loop and help my local renal unit by attending open days for renal patients providing first hand experience).

Now that’s an excellent thing to do and so many people starting a similar road will appreciate a friendly guide to help take the fear away.

 

[hairywill]

Working in software development, at least 10 years away from retirement. Beekeeping is a bit like a software project. You start with a plan, but have to accept that some things will go sideways.

Started keeping bees 3 years ago with a couple of hives that had been abandoned for several years (with permission of landowner). Have now split those up to 8 colonies, will probably stop at 20 whilst I am still working. I presume it's like children and the 10th one takes much less time that the 1st. I spend several hours a week reading about about beekeeping but still seem to be learning a lot from my mistakes. I'm hoping the time per hive reduces once I've read more and made more of the mistakes once each . Still love to arrive at the apiary and just sit for 10 minutes watching.

 

[MJNT]

I’m a vet ... originally large animals then small animals as started to feel the cold and dislike getting out of bed in the middle of the night. Could retire I suppose but love what I do and keeping bees just seemed natural extension of interest in all things biological Lucky enough to Have my 4 hives at home as have a smallholding been learning very slowly for the past 3 years

 

[Amari]

I was consultant physician and gastroenterologist in Cheshire 1974-2001 during which time I had up to seven hives. The problem was I could only find time at weekends to beekeep and often it seemed to be pouring with rain or howling with wind.

I then semi-retired to Suffolk and now enjoy the bliss of visiting my apiaries whenever I want.

I learnt the craft at Sparsholt Agricultural College in Hampshire in 1972. Brilliant course led by the County Bee Officer (now an extinct job title), John Cossburn. Alternate weeks classroom theory/making ourselves jumbo langstroths in the college carpentry shop.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I’m a vet ...

I used to be

 

[BeeJam]

Very interesting thread. I'm mid 40s and do full time shift work support a bank's IT. In my spare time look after my bees on an acre of so of land a few yards down the road from my house. SWMBO is hoping to get some pygmy goats next year so I'm also being engaged to build fences, shelters etc to house them.