Why do you keep Bees?

[Dishmop]

What is your reason for keeping bees?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

my grandfather kept bees - he gave me Digges to read when i was about nine or ten, I was hooked. took me many years and life got in the way before SWMBO was appointed Welsh Government officer I/C bees a few years ago and the yearning came back so here I am. In the words of our SBI 'I just love bees, and I want everyone elso to love theirs'
None of this tree hugging save the planet save the bees 'cos Einstein said so mullarkey I'm sorry. I like keeping bees and I like harvesting honey - to sell!!! (oooh hush my mouth!)
maybe in a year or two if the bees and the weather give me a break i'll harvest some serious amount not the 180 odd pounds off two hives like this year!

 

[REDWOOD]

Something to talk about on the forum
Many reasons, ! love the animal kingdom, biodiversity, make lots of money (not), always wanted to keep bees from a young age after watching a beekeeper at work,

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

maybe in a year or two if the bees and the weather give me a break i'll harvest some serious amount not the 180 odd pounds off two hives like this year!

Have you thought of asking Finman for advice?

Dusty

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Have you thought of asking Finman for advice?

Dusty

Just when I was beginning to like you!

 

[user 6228]

I like the engineering problem of combining a winter survival pod with a sugar refining plant.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Because they're the most fascinating lifeform on the planet full stop. Main reason; there are others.

 

[lebouche]

God complex

 

[REDWOOD]

I like the engineering problem of combining a winter survival pod with a sugar refining plant.

Nothing to do with heat then

 

[MuswellMetro]

I have a scientific mind and like the challenge of being able to work out how another lifeform, like the mind of a honeybee functions as a single entity but consist of 50 thousand bees and once i have discovered the formulae that governs their complex behavior then i will move on to the next challenge thats how the mind of a single entity like a SWMBO can come to 50 thousand random answers to any one problem

 

[Itchy]

I do it because I'm fascinated by the concept of manipulating a multi-individual colony, or organism for my own ends........
Maybe this is because in real life I don't even have any control over anything or anyone

 

[GlenJ]

Reasons? if you have to ask you've already lost the argument

The fascination with their complex lives, the ridiculous pleasure when something goes right meaning I had some inkling of what's going on tempered by the ridiculous despair when things go wrong. And loving the fact that, most of the time they actually tolerate the physical contact. I also like an excuse for buying stuff - and never before have I had such a limitless potential for that. Honey is popular so justifies it all???
Glen

 

[garlicpickle]

As a child I was really keen on bugs. I used to spend hours in the garden watching various insects and reading about them in books. I wanted bees when I was 9 and bought a copy of Teach Yourself Beekeeping out of my pocket money. But my mum and dad thought it would be too much for a child to manage and I guess they didn't fancy helping me out, so it never happened.

So when 40 years later I started thinking about some of my childhood dreams that were never realised, I decided that the wish to keep bees was one i could easily fulfil.

 

[Walrus]

I really like bees and honey, plus I get to spend time with my daughter who helps me. My apiary is on a beautiful farm. Visiting is very therapeutic. And it's a cool thing to talk about. And I like trying to improve each year, and I like talking to other beeks who are generally as obsessed as I am!

 

[Tim.S]

I have a scientific mind and like the challenge of being able to work out how another lifeform, like the mind of a honeybee functions as a single entity but consist of 50 thousand bees and once i have discovered the formulae that governs their complex behavior then i will move on to the next challenge thats how the mind of a single entity like a SWMBO can come to 50 thousand random answers to any one problem

I gave up trying to get the answer to that question years ago. If you try hard enough you might just get some answers on the bees, no chance of understanding women!

We have always had bees kept on our family's land by various people and with my business being involved with the natural world I was curious about bees and how better to find out about them than to keep them?

 

[boca]

Beside enjoying it, as a back-up activity should the financial system bake down.

 

[enrico]

Because thirty odd years ago I decided it might be nice to have a few bees at the bottom of the garden..... A few bees? Well now I understand how naive that was!
And I am amazed how something so small can hurt so much!

 

[ichbinpaul]

Without being a Rock star how else can one get an audience of hundreds of thousands even millions right in front of you?

It all really started with a hermit of a man in his mid seventies living on 10 acres of land in a caravan who kept lots of bees, he bicycled hundreds of miles and only refueld on Honey and milk durring his endurances, I was facinated he taught me some very "now strange" bee managing methods, he passed away nearly 25years ago, and a swarm in 2012 started me off again.

 

[madasafish]

Because I have time to play and enjoy them.. and doing it successfully on the cheap (not nasty) is an intellectual challenge.

And I like honey. And doing my bit for the local environment. And my garden.

And it gets me out of the house.

 

[Dishmop]

Because I have time to play and enjoy them.. and doing it successfully on the cheap (not nasty) is an intellectual challenge.

And I like honey. And doing my bit for the local environment. And my garden.

And it gets me out of the house.