# Do beekeepers have common personality traits?



## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

After reading this definition of an _*Introverted*_ personality, I was absolutely shocked at how perfectly it describes me. 
Are you an introvert or extrovert? 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/20/introverts-signs-am-i-introverted_n_3721431.html

http://giftedkids.about.com/od/glossary/g/extrovert.htm

I am betting most people who get hooked on beekeeping and quickly end up having many more hives that they originally planned on, are introverted. They are most comfortable for hours and days on end, alone in the bee yard. Especially folks that gravitate to things like queen rearing, which takes many hours of quiet work alone. 

Which personality best describes you?


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

That's me.


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## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

Extrovert.... although I am hooked on beekeeping and will be rearing queens this season.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

How introverted can someone be w/ 20,000 Posts? On the other hand I do like working by myself. I used to answer questions from on average 2,000 or so people per day. Not that I did it as well as others. Seems like I would have to be some sort of extrovert.

Life is not black or white, but "50 Shades of Grey". (or should that have been "gray"?)


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

Ahhh...that's the beauty of it. I can choose intelligent conversations, join in and never have to actually talk. 

I have no problem talking, however, if the topic is interesting, informative. 

I have to mentally prepare myself for socializing, am ok with it, but only for so long.

Not to confused with a _crabby_ person, I love to laugh and have a small weakness for pulling pranks when the opportunity arises.

I don't own a cell phone and hate to be interupted when I am working. It ruins my momentum. 

I don't understand those people who never seem to have a single thought that doesn't come out their mouth. For some reason, those people like to talk to me, and at times I feel like their hostage.

My dad use to say "I like it whe people come over to visit, but after 20 minutes I'm ready for them to go home" I have to laugh at that one. 

My husband is totally an Extrovert, but is a smart guy..I believe he uses _both _sides of this brain. I've learned some social skills from him, luckily. Instead of feeling so much like a hostage, I joke and mess around a bit if someone corners me. 

One of his favorite sayings is "Are you getting paid by the word"

I am a little more diplomatic


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## Robbin (May 26, 2013)

Lauri said:


> Ahhh...that's the beauty of it. I can choose intelligent conversations, join in and never have to actually talk.
> 
> I have no problem talking, however, if the topic is interesting, informative. I have to mentally prepare myself for socializing, am ok with it, but only for so long.


Lauri, I have long thought you were the perfect woman. Beekeeper, bowhunter, VERY handy. Now I Know you are the perfect woman....


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## stan.vick (Dec 19, 2010)

Can you be both,? I spent 12 years as a Game Warden, I worked alone almost all the time, I was very comfortable being alone. I spent 16 years working in the prison system, my job was supervising the emergency response team, we were in conflict almost every day with the worst of the worst, I was also very comfortable doing that. I think I am an extrovert by nature and an introvert by choice. I like to say I enjoy my own company very much but I do not like to always be alone, I like having like minded people to "touch base" with or I will lose who I am. Beesource and the bee club I recently joined seems to fill that need. Took me six years to join a bee club, ( maybe the introvert side is a little stronger)


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## gone2seed (Sep 18, 2011)

introvert....wife says frustrated hermit.


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## hideawayranch (Mar 5, 2013)

OMGosh, so right there with you!
And I am the GM of a hotel, guess what I do all day long! But after reading the description, yes, I am a total introvert. Also I love nothing more than working outside near the bees, even if not working with them per Se. Just having them buzz around me gives me peace.


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## jrbbees (Apr 4, 2010)

A few year back Kelly's did a survey of who bee keepers were. Some very interesting common grounds and traits.


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## wildbranch2007 (Dec 3, 2008)

introvert, when I picked my job, went into computers, they do exactly what you tell them exactly the same way over and over and over. If its not what you wanted, its your fault. Beekeeping and gardening are the exact reverse, I tell them what to do, they may listen, but they do what they want. 
I find it easy to talk about bee keeping, hunting and computers, the rest of socializing is work I can do it if I have to, but am not that interested.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Well, I work bees 80 hours a week for months at a time, and mostly alone. After a long day in the apiaries, I like to sit alone with my bees and unwind.

I speak to beekeeping groups of 50 and groups of 500. To groups across the US, and just returned from 2 weeks of talks and travel in England.

I love it all. So, you tell me...intro or extro?


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## WLC (Feb 7, 2010)

I think that beekeepers share some traits with the likes of E. O. Wilson.

They're students of Insect Social Biology.

I think that it's more of a *philia than a *version.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Introvert around males and extrovert around females. My wive is vise verse.


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## Honey-4-All (Dec 19, 2008)

A Huff and puff post link from Mrs. Miller. Shock me... With all the other stuff you've show I'm surprised that you admit you are at least partially a liberal-vert. 

This can not be a very scientific study as all the answers here are going to be given by extroverted beesource people.......or is it those who are introverted and like the anonymity of the web?

Who knows???????????


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## Tommy Hodge (Jun 4, 2013)

Yup, that's me as well…with the exception of #23…not a writer…not yet anyway…!


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Robbin said:


> Lauri, I have long thought you were the perfect woman. Beekeeper, bowhunter, VERY handy. Now I Know you are the perfect woman....


I bet you are too Robbin.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

wildbranch2007 said:


> I find it easy to talk about bee keeping, hunting and computers, the rest of socializing is work I can do it if I have to, but am not that interested.


So I guess you would need that special ring from The Hobbit to come to the State Meeting, eh? lol
just pokin' fun.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Michael Palmer said:


> Well, I work bees 80 hours a week for months at a time, and mostly alone. After a long day in the apiaries, I like to sit alone with my bees and unwind.
> 
> I speak to beekeeping groups of 50 and groups of 500. To groups across the US, and just returned from 2 weeks of talks and travel in England.
> 
> I love it all. So, you tell me...intro or extro?


It's not so much what u call yerself, it's what you do how you act. That's how I see it.


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## Hokie Bee Daddy (Apr 1, 2011)

I am a Myers Briggs tested and certified introvert - definitely not a writer though but I can immerse myself in math.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Lay some on us Hokie.

I never understood pi r squared. Moms' pies were always round.


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## TooFarGone (Aug 19, 2012)

I am an INTJ on personality testing (Meyers -Briggs?)---- Yup, MAJOR introvert.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Meyers is alright. Never trusted Briggs.


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## virginiawolf (Feb 18, 2011)

I am an introvert according to this. I enjoy people's company and can make friends easily and have great friends but I socialize much less than I do solitary things. I like to laugh and carry on but I get into deep conversations as this article suggests. I like to write and read and draw and play guitar etc. Looking over frames and building equipment is a time that I decompress and get into the beekeeping zone. There is a similar feeling that I get when I work on bees that I get when I paint pictures and play guitar etc. I much prefer being in the right side of the brain zone as opposed to the left side. I always have. I think that is what is driving this introvert thing. It is that we are right side of the brain dominant. Thank you for posting this. I never diagnosed myself as an introvert until tonight.


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## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

I came home from a bee meeting and told my wife about the "odd" beeks I had met. I said all the beekeepers I know are "odd". She said what and you don't think you are odd?


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## justin (Jun 16, 2007)

just obnoxious. i turned back into an introvert when i quit drinking, but i do enjoy good company.


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## SS1 (Jun 1, 2013)

Interesting topic. Made me open my eyes,, I think I am just wierd... (been listening to my wife too many years.

I do indeed find small talk cumbersome.. never understood why.. I dont go to parties, unless I know most of those attending.. When a fight starts, I am usually in the middle of it, though sitting in the jail over night doesnt usually bother me, the fines did so I stopped going.
I am easily distracted and I LOVE my downtime! I have spoken in front of ten thousand people when I was thirteen,and had dinner with the President when I was 30ish. Talking doesnt bother me, unless its small talk...
I dont care about being an expert on one thing... The one thing my wife often brags about is my ability to do about anything.. Rebuild an engine or an entire vehicle. Gunsmith. I have built TWO houses from scratch and rebuilt MANY others to resell Foundation digging to shingling the roof and everything in between. I raised and trained bird dogs for many years. CNC Machinist, I build my own computers, I raise and train my own horses. if I havent DONE something, its because there is no need for me to learn HOW to do it.. so that one is out...
I do HATE my cell phone.. Often it ticks me off when it rings and I rip the battery out without looking at whos calling.. I'm on MY unproductive time!!!! Writing... OK, that fits... I actually have about 5 completed books, and twenty others I work on as the mood hits,, never published, never intended to.. even though friends who have read them are astonished and adamant that I SHOULD publish... alternate between periods of work, solitude and social activity... hmmm... I alternate between work, and time with the woman I married.. I could care less about most social activity, and I hate crowds.. I even hate going to cities.. if more than 5000 people live there its too big for me to go to...
Oh, and then theres my bees... something about them calms me, as others have stated.. i can sit amidst the hives.. let bees land on me, listen, and feel.. and become totally relaxed.... oh, wait, maybe thats because of the Rum and coke?

so I guess the bottom line is yes, Introvert with exceptions.. does that mean I am a Challenged Introvert?


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## norton (Mar 19, 2005)

My wife said that I'm antisocial. I told her that it's only with non-beekeepers.


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## DLMKA (Feb 7, 2012)

Introvert. 

I'm an engineer, math and mechanical things are my forte but just learning and figuring out things around me are what I do. My fiancée says I'm a fountain of useless knowledge but I contend that if it was useless I wouldn't have learned it in the first place. I have no problem talking to people or groups of people when there is a common interest but in a group I usually lust listen and form my own opinions silently. Social gatherings are painful for me especially among people I don't already know and even family gatherings are difficult because most don't understand me.

I'd rather work alone in the garage, garden, or bees. I go on long bike rides by myself often for 3+ hours where it's just me and the wind in my face, nothing more relaxing IMHO.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

What does it say about me that I'd rather look at the 10 Yoga Poses than watch the Today Show Video? Extrovert or Introvert?


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## cg3 (Jan 16, 2011)

justin said:


> just obnoxious. i turned back into an introvert when i quit drinking, but i do enjoy good company.


What he said.


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## larrybeach (May 25, 2013)

I am a strong introvert. I just do not get small talk with people I don't know that well at all. Seems like a big waste of time, to me. I am very busy with work, bees , chickens, projects around the house and hunting and fishing when I can find the time. The little spare time I have, I love to spend with my family. The last few weeks I have spent a lot of time hunting with my youngest son, me guiding, him hunting. It paid off with him tagging his first buck, nice 8-point with a 15 inch inside spread. It was a great day for both of us. I like being productive with my time, no time for small talk.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

sqkcrk said:


> I'd rather look at the 10 Yoga Poses than watch the Today Show Video


Ho, ho Mark, I had no idea. The next time we are together I will do Yoga and you can watch.


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## lazy shooter (Jun 3, 2011)

I think most of my acquaintances would tell you that I am an extrovert, but according to the referenced articles I am an introvert. I love being by myself, and often when on the ranch I just park the Kubota RTV and set and look and listen to nature. I have worked away from home 40 to 50 percent of my married life, especially the last 30 years. (I've been married to the same gal 54 years.) 

I am a petroleum engineer that specializes in geophysical well log analysis. In brief, I interpret well logs, like Schlumberger and seismic data. Most of the many meeting that I attend, are composed of other engineers, geologists, and business managers. All of them, question me from their respective positions. And, yes, I feel lonely in that environment.

In my business, I have to be anal retentive about details, but otherwise I am a big picture guy that doesn't like to be bored with itty bitty trivial details. 

This is a thought provoking moment for me. Thanks for posting this Lauri.


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

'This is a thought provoking moment for me. Thanks for posting this Lauri.'

You are welcome. Thank you all for taking the time to post.

Another AH-HA moment indeed. One that kind of looks into your soul.
Too bad it took me 54 years to figure it out 

I'll manage myself more effeiciently now, knowing this. I think I will socialize better and not have the guilty feeling because I have to slightly force myself to to it.

It helps me understand why I channel my energy differently than others.


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

I'm not sure it's a personality trait, but we all have a love of bees and the peace beekeeping brings to our lives. We just marvel (and occasionally curse) at their doings. Beekeeping is a.............. wonderful ..... addiction.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

We must assume by the exchanges brought on by trivial differences in management style or interpretations that beekeepers are mainly Misanthropes.


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

From VanceG .......We must assume by the exchanges brought on by trivial differences in management style or interpretations that beekeepers are mainly Misanthropes



If that's really true, then you'd not see them posting on BS.....


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## Paul McCarty (Mar 30, 2011)

I would not call me introverted - antisocial yes, but not introverted. I am really NOT a "joiner" of any type. Though, any time I do join something, I tend to take it over.


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## Colino (May 28, 2013)

I hate everything and what I don't hate I dislike, so I guess that could make me an extroverted introvert with a side order of megalomania.help!


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## SallyD (Mar 12, 2011)

Interesting thread! Lauri....I share many of your traits although I do have a cell phone. There are very few people I feel totally comfortable with. I really love my alone time. Total introvert!


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## GLOCK (Dec 29, 2009)

I am a loner all the way. I am self employed{over 20 years} a only child with only 3 friends one my wife one my daughter and one some one I grow up with that lives a world away.
I drink alone smoke alone fish alone and bee keep alone self taught all the way 
I have what I think they call social anxiety the more people the more I get weirded out . Strange considering I own a restaurant and been in the business for 38 years. I just don't know:scratch:.
I can spend hours in my apiary alone playing with bees I am very isolated very peacefull great loner hobby .
I pull my xterra up by the apiary on sundays {day off} and put some Sabbath in the cd player and lose the day beein .:thumbsup:


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## WLC (Feb 7, 2010)

Somebody take the test already.


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## Stella (May 22, 2013)

Well this is all so interesting! 
Its like an in-depth meet and greet. 

I havent reviewed the initial links to be defined as one or the other. 
But Im usually the "other"...and sometimes the "one".

I like to keep it open.


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## Jeanette (Jul 7, 2012)

I am definitely an introvert. It was a couple of years ago that I made the pleasant discovery that I was not abnormal! Computer programming can hold my attention for hours, but I run short of ideas for idle chit-chat very quickly. I find it very easy to socialise with dogs (yes, the pet animals) because their behaviour is relatively predictable and they are content with silence. Fortunately, many of my relatives seem to be extroverts. A single question from me can produce many minutes of their spoken reply. Five or six questions later, we have had a lengthy 'conversation' and say a happy farewell!


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## bevy's honeybees (Apr 21, 2011)

She lay in the soft green grass with her chin propped in her hand, slowly swinging her feet in the air as if in rhythm with the summer breeze. Focused on a patch of dandelions before her, she stretched out her hand, then her finger, to the honeybee that was busily gathering nectar from the bloom. It walked up on her fingertip, explored a bit, then flew to the next flower a few inches away. Pondering the beauty of the golden creature, and honey she had on her toast that morning, she wondered if she would someday have a beehive of her own. No, it"s impossible...

Introvert or Extrovert? You decide.
(Note: article does not state "good" writer).


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## Colleen O. (Jun 5, 2012)

Lauri, thanks for posting the links.

I have long identified myself as an introvert but a lot of my friends that I have met in the last 15 years don't think I am. (I think they actually yelled You are WHAT?! NO WAY!) I've even had coworkers refer to me as aggressive in recent years (I prefer assertive!). I'm now comforted to realize I haven't lost my true identity ...  I still am energized by my downtime!


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## jfb58 (Sep 10, 2013)

Introvert, hate crowds.


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## Matt903 (Apr 8, 2013)

My job as a principal requires me to interact with people all day long, I enjoy it, but...when I am with the bees, there are no questions to answer, no one complaining, and no one needing a problem solved. Working with the bees relaxes me, and in the winter working in my shed building equipment does the same.


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## Honey Hive Farms (Nov 1, 2012)

We like our customers and people coming by our farm, but the bees are very relaxing to me, I really miss them a lot of the time in the winter.
Wont be saying that in the middle of Summer.


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