What made you take up bee keeping ?

[gingerbees]

Just a general open question really. Why did you start or are looking to start keeping bees ?

Difficult for us, becuase it was for many reasons and I guess others are the same,, but would be very interested to hear other peoples reasons to start and keep going.

On the other side did you give it up ? and if so why ?

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Not sure it was one thing beyond general media publicity, but definitely triggered by hearing them in the lime trees

 

[For want of a better word]

Natural affinity... I have always had this buzzing in my head..........

 

[gingerbees]

" hearing them in the Lime Trees " Fantastic

We went to our local show and there was a bee association stand there, Tracey got talking to them and booked a course, we had an allotment, knew someone who kept them and before we knew it had some second equipment and two hives of bees.

Wouldn't be without them now, and this year at our show, we helped on the bee keeping association stand !, and I hope helped one person start on the journey of bee keeping as well as showing the display hive off to lots of children and adults alike

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

My grandfather kept bees (before i was born) nad when I was about ten he gave me a book on beekeeping - I was fascinated working away and such meant I didn't give it a thought for years, but started thinking again when the wife and I were in the Royal Welsh honey show a few years ago (she was fscinated as well) but it all looked very expensive at the time.
Then Mrs J took over the Welsh assembly bee seat and got to know the regional bee inspector when she was invited on a day of inspections : And we realised it didn't have to be as expensive as we had first thought (famous last words) That and a friend who is a woodworking teacher with a small stock of cedar to get rid of made me decide to go for it. One five frame nuc has now developed into a six frame nucleus and two hives and i'm attending a train the trainers course next month so I can help other beginners in the next year.
Wish i'd grasped the nettle years ago

 

[madasafish]

Gin.

I ran out.

 

[drstitson]

wanted to keep them since a very small child - anyone else remember when thompson and morgan used to sell them? loved flipping through the catalogue as a little one.

actual reason now was that damned HFW - worse than derren brown IMHO wrt getting unsuspected people into the whole downsizer, GYO lifestyle. was meant to be the OH's hobby though not panned out that way. works better if you have aspie traits.

 

[CB008]

I started hearing about the issues with bees so my wife bought me the book "a world without Bees". I read that, learned about monoculture et al and decided I should do my bit. So eighteen months later and £2.5k poorer I have 4 healthy colonies.

Happily I have found keeping bees highly enjoyable, mainly because it is a skill that takes years to master and you are never sure what you will find at each inspection

 

[user 6228]

Swmbo

 

[enrico]

I bought a flat pack hive in 1981 and thought I would collect a few bees to keep in it. God I was so naive. Built the hive and left it there until a beekeeper happened to call by. I told him I was having trouble keeping the bees in the hive, they kept flying away. He bought me a swarm the next day and then the learning curve started. No forums then!!! Still on BBC computers!
30 years on and still don't know nuffink!
E

 

[Elaine]

My sister and a friend had been talking about keeping bees for a couple of years - and I have always been fascinated by them having seen them at a show many years ago as a child. Also, a concern over the reports of the declining number of bees. Having been too late to enrol for the 2009/10 local BKA course, we signed up for a 'taster day' at Buckfast Abbey when we were on holiday. This was an excellent and informative day, with 'hands-on' sessions, the tutor and her assistant were great. Holding a crowded frame of bees - watching one emerge from a cell, I just felt at ease with them and decided I really wanted to have some at home. Did a lot of reading - attended the course for 2010/11 and got our 5 frame Nucleus of Buckfasts in May this year - now 2 thriving colonies. I could still sit and watch them for hours - there is so much to try to understand about their behaviour and responses to the environment. Steep learning curve - and still going up!

 

[tonybloke]

My dad had 3 x WBC hives (with bees in) when I was a teenager, but only for 2 years due to him developing severe reaction to bee venom, and bees having to go! many yrs later, spotted an apiary at the college I was attending..................went on a couple of courses ( Theory in autumn, Practical in spring) got bees june 08, took BBKA 'Basic' exam last year, took on a student this year (zubzub), planning on taking modules1&2 next year........never stop learning!!

 

[Davelin]

My Dad was a commercial beekeeper when I was a very small lad. Bought some honey up in Yorkshire when on holiday a couple of years ago and got talking, and they said why don't you take it up again. Know a lady who's got a field and got talking and she said if you want a corner to keep bees in you can fence that one off. Then I retired (almost) so here I am.

 

[chickendave]

My grandfarther keeped bees on his allotmet so at a very early age I learnt to grow veg but did not get involved with the bees but was always interested in them
When we bought our preasent house which has about half an acre of garden. We started to grow our veg in the garden and keep chickens so it was a natrual progression to get the bees
Wish I could afford a small holding as I have pig,cows and sheep as well

 

[alynewbee]

My step brother had a hive in my mum's garden up north. Sat and stared at them for hours on end, fascinating, so did a course and got a swarm. Love it.

 

[busybee53]

Always loved sitting among the bumbles when I was a child. Used to stroke them because they were so furry. Everyone discouraged me from beekeeping, including my uncle who kept them himself. Always wanted bees but other half said no more pets.

Then a swarm came to my allotment and I took it as a sign. Did the course and stupidly thought I could get bees at a local out apiary and pop over without disrupting other people's lives.

Now other half has own suit, helps with shifting stuff, inspections, extracting etc. Must be love.

 

[thedeaddiplomat]

Visited the honey tent at the Royal Cornwall Show a few years ago, and chatted to a fascinating gentleman who assured me that beekeeping was straightforward, inexpensive, took little effort and even less time.

Seemed to be an ideal way to give the current Lady DD something to keep her amused in a constructive and lucrative way.

Odd, isn't it, how you never learn until it's too late?

 

[bees4u]

I started 32 years ago because I thought I could produce honey cheaper than 90p a jar!

 

[Firefly]

1st time (1977): Found myself being a volunteer in Burundi, central Africa, on a project that included buying and marketing local honey (from colonies in hollow logs), plus encouraging local beekeepers to try out top-bar hives. Got badly stung and put off for 30 years!

2nd time (2010): My brother-in-law's failure to retire. He said he was retiring: resigned his directorship, got an allotment, got a bike, got bees (in my orchard) - and got me along to hold the smoker. Then he got appointed chief executive of a new sub-division of a major UK retail organisation - so much for all the hobbies! To be fair, helping him out got me interested again and he's doing his share. I'm not complaining!

 

[region2]

My father kept bees back in the early 60s - I have no real memory of them...

January 2010 I stumbled on a Beeginners Hive and Suit by Th0rnes on 3bay. Instructions were lousy back then (!) so I decided to find a local club to help me. The rest, as they say, is history (if history lasts 18 months!)...

R2