# Significant Other.



## GLOCK (Dec 29, 2009)

Who all has a significant other that is a partner in there beekeeping endeavor?
I got another ultra breeze for Christmas and my wife feels safe in the ultra breeze so she said she will help me this year .
That will be great I never had help in the bee year yet it sure will make things a lot easier .
If it's like every thing else she'll out do me and I'll have the best bees ever.


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## Teal (Jan 30, 2014)

I wish my husband would! He has no interest in any of my hobbies though, and beekeeping is no different, so far anyway. I think he might become interested just because of the woodworking. He likes to build things. Time will tell!


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## Teal (Jan 30, 2014)

I wanted to add that I might prefer it that way, because when he encroaches too closely on my territory, he tries to micromanage me and I don't like that lol.


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## urbanoutlaw (Nov 19, 2012)

I did last season. We bicker a lot, but it's in good fun (except when I dropped a frame on him).

We will see about this year - husband had a systemic reaction to a dead bee in December. 

Glad to hear your SO is getting into bees.


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## scorpionmain (Apr 17, 2012)

:shhhh:
I love my wife & all but I am glad she has no interest in bees.
It's my escape.
If she was under my heels all the time I think I would have to find something else to do. LOL


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

Only when inspecting a top bar hive, otherwise no interest.


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## TalonRedding (Jul 19, 2013)

My wife has gotten hooked, and she helps me quite often. I'm not bad when it comes to finding queens, but her ability to find them blows mine out of the water! She is going to catch swarms this year. Now, I will have her catching swarms while I am doing my day job!  I think I did good! :thumbsup:


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## OneEyedRooster (Nov 10, 2012)

I got my wife an UltraBreeze suit and now her confidence is so high she is only using a veil. It is really helpful to have another pair of hands (pretty ones at that) in the bee yard.


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## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

My wife supports pretty much everything I do. She does help out every once in a while. She likes to watch inspections and take pics. She is MY queen bee. I wouldn't trade her for anything.









Pretty as all get out isn't she? The bee suit doesn't do her justice. lol


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## R.Varian (Jan 14, 2014)

My wife and I work together on our beekeeping,hobby?? I guess it is a hobby since we are still in the red. 
She claims I micromanage her so I guess we will be making a split Her colonies and mine!
Its all fun.


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## D Semple (Jun 18, 2010)

Parts

My wife loves catching swarms but doesn't care for much else, but she will also help on cutouts if I ask, hoping she will like queen rearing. 










Don


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## Cascade Hunter (Sep 22, 2013)

GLOCK said:


> Who all has a significant other that is a partner in there beekeeping endeavor?


She keeps the books.


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## philip.devos (Aug 10, 2013)

Teal said:


> I wanted to add that I might prefer it that way, because when he encroaches too closely on my territory, he tries to micromanage me and I don't like that lol.


Yeah, you have to be careful of what you wish for. :lookout: 

The woodworking angle sounds like a plan, particularly if he buys the lumber. :lookout: :lookout:


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## Phoebee (Jan 29, 2014)

GLOCK said:


> Who all has a significant other that is a partner in there beekeeping endeavor?
> I got another ultra breeze for Christmas and my wife feels safe in the ultra breeze so she said she will help me this year .
> That will be great I never had help in the bee year yet it sure will make things a lot easier .
> If it's like every thing else she'll out do me and I'll have the best bees ever.


She thinks keeping bees was HER idea. I let her keep thinking that.


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## philip.devos (Aug 10, 2013)

TalonRedding said:


> My wife has gotten hooked, and she helps me quite often. I'm not bad when it comes to finding queens, but her ability to find them blows mine out of the water!


I wish I had her talent. It's amazing how 2 people can stare at the same frame, and one spots the queen in a few seconds, while the other cannot find the queen in 5 minutes.


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## chillardbee (May 26, 2005)

From time to time she does. she helped feed the bees during build up one spring after I had surgery. I also let her graft eggs for queens once with 76/80 cells accepted, She's good.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

When it comes to bees, I've always been on my own...


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## westernbeekeeper (May 2, 2012)

See my profile pic!


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## Sharpbees (Jun 26, 2012)

My wife was helping but became allergic last year. She still goes with me on removals but that's just so there will be someone there in case of emergency. My daughter helps me now when she's out of school. She's not crazy about it but she likes the money she makes when helping me out in my bee removal and wildlife control business. I keep hoping she'll catch bee fever and take things over when I can no longer do it.


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## DanielD (Jul 21, 2012)

My wife and daughters will help by cleaning things after a honey mess, er, harvest, or cutout, as long as there are no bees helping the cleaning. Can't beat that. They also sort of cheer me on and comfort me when I am stung. Sometimes.


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## Margot1d (Jun 23, 2012)

:no:


scorpionmain said:


> :shhhh:
> I love my wife & all but I am glad she has no interest in bees.
> It's my escape.
> If she was under my heels all the time I think I would have to find something else to do. LOL


He has his guitars. I have my bees.


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## Eyeshooter (Mar 8, 2008)

When I ask for help, i.e . wrapping hives when it's freezing outside, she is definitely there! Same when it comes to harvesting. Otherwise, if she joins me on trips to the beeyards, she brings a book! Works out well. When I need the extra hand, she's there. When I do not, she leaves me alone. After being married 37 years, we pretty much know what the other one needs or wants.

John


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## Dave Burrup (Jul 22, 2008)

My wife and I do almost all of the work together. Last November I had shoulder surgery and my wife did all of the late feeding and winter prep. About all I could do was watch. She is real good at spotting queens. 
She also helps with all of the other work that goes with our little farm endeavor. We spend most of our time together and get along fine.
Dave


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## Hogback Honey (Oct 29, 2013)

For the past several years my Husband discouraged me from getting bees, but It was because he really did not know anything about them. i think he pictured tons of bees flying around stinging every visitor we had, and the visitors having bad reactions to the stings. 

Now he is behind me all the way. Very encouraging, I bought him a suit, so if I need his help he will be protected and feel comfortable, and he is getting excited about my getting bees. He is even telling me to go ahead and get some hives after almonds, along with the 2 pkgs I will be picking ip in April. 

Actually, I think he is more excited about the honey, we go through a bunch of honey.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

My wife only helps with honey customers who come to the house and I never see a dime of it. Same for the kids, they rarely ask for allowance and I suspect I know the reason. The numerous cases of honey I bring home need re-stocking suspiciously frequently.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

My wife bought the bees and the first hive and at some point they all became mine.:scratch:


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## KQ6AR (May 13, 2008)

My wife got me into beekeeping. She is the VP of the local club.


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## Margot1d (Jun 23, 2012)

Oops...double post


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## Michael B (Feb 6, 2010)

We have a good relationship in beekeeping. I build hives, manage hives, harvest honey. She bottles honey and loves to talk to folks and sell honey and candles.


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## ceebee (Feb 1, 2014)

She's the reason I'm getting into this little hobby. in High school I wanted to get a hive or two, but didn't ever take off, in Rural ND I didn't have too many mentors. several years later (I'm now 26) I'm dating a bee keepers daughter, so starting up a couple hives was inevitable I think haha.


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## Matt903 (Apr 8, 2013)

Cascade Hunter said:


> She keeps the books.


Cascade you beat me too it! Can t get her near a hive, but she keeps us in the black with the financial end of things.


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## xbeeman412 (Jan 22, 2011)

The Wife and I work togeather with the Bees. Just got back from putting pollen patties on and checking on the need for feed an hour ago.


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## GLOCK (Dec 29, 2009)

This has turned out to be a nice thread.
I am so glad my wife has had a change of heart . When I first got bees in 2009 she said she wanted nothing to do with them . Then 2011 she hived a swarm for me while I was at work. She stopped a robbing episode in my nuc yard buy putting wet sheets over the nucs {I was at work}.
She was wearing my ULTRA BREEZE both times . She bought me a ultra breeze jacket for Christmas so now she seems interested I'm sure it will be fun and she will do well and I will be a great mentor 
She will be the only person I ever worked a hive with other then the inspector.


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## wmsuber (Apr 4, 2011)

My wife and I both took a course together, and she has been extremely supportive of our beekeeping. After three full years, going into four, it seems our likes and dislikes along with our personality traits has helped us to evolve into our current roles. She helps with bottling and selling honey, and talks with customers way more than I do. Not so much involved anymore with actually doing the field work. It seems she likes people more than bees, I seem to like the bees more myself. I do appreciate the separation I get when working the hives, but then we do own a separate business and work together a minimum of 30 plus hours each week. It is funny too how we both value our honey from different perspectives. I see it as the fruit of doing something I enjoy, she sees it as the product of an investment and lots of hard work.


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## NewJoe (Jul 1, 2012)

my wife helps sell the honey and helps spend the money


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## Hambone (Mar 17, 2008)

My wife hates bees. She will go with me to check on them every now and then, but she doesn't get out of the truck.


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## Hoot Owl Lane Bees (Feb 24, 2012)

My wife woun't help with the bees but she does go to the meeting's and she made 2 crochet bee's for my club hat.:thumbsup:
She has her hobbies and I have mine. 
As long as I buy thread for knitting and crochet I can buy what I need for my bee's.


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## Kevtater (May 17, 2013)

When I met my wife my main hobby was small scale gold mining. Have a claim up the river I worked on most weekends. She hated it, she went with me quite a bit and would fish while I ran the shovel. It really wasn't profitable, and she got no excitement out of flakes of gold. A year or so after we got married I bought bees, she showed a lot of interest, so I weened myself off prospecting and got heavier into bees. After all it's more fun (and easier) when the wife has interest in your hobby. But like most things I get into, I over do it. Now she still has some interest, and helps me when I need an extra hand, but I think she views it as work rather than a hobby these days.


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## BeeWill (Apr 17, 2013)

My wife and I took our first beekeeping class together but that was a few years before I actually started keeping bees last Spring. I got her a jacket and veil but she always had some excuse not to go with me to look at the hives. She did get interested when I got an extractor and actually took a turn cutting cappings off the frames, and took a real interest in doing something with the wax. I think her interest is going to be focused on the things that she can do in the house far from any stingers -- extracting honey and making candles from the wax. I still hope to get her out in the apiary to watch me inspect a hive this Spring though.


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

My wife loved the bees, if I took her out with me doing bee stuff she was always in a really good mood. Didn't work the bees but just enjoyed hanging out, going places, and I suspect breathing hive air makes people feel good.

My children though, no interest. Which is maybe a good thing they both have great careers, one in law & one in medicine, although my daughter is out of law for now she is a stay at home mum now. (Something she used to poke fun at but amazing how meeting the right partner can change ones views LOL)


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## Stella (May 22, 2013)

Nope. Im alone in it. Just the way I like it. This is my baby.

He likes to hear about it, learn about it, talk about it and watch the bees, but it ends there. Its a perfect set up.


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## johng (Nov 24, 2009)

My wife is a big help with bottling, selling at the markets, and keeping all the books straight. But, she doesn't get into the hives with me much although she was a big help pulling supers of Gallberry last year.


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## Barry Digman (May 21, 2003)

My wife likes them and misses them when I don't have a hive at the house. She hasn't tried her hand at working them, which is ok by me because it would take her about eleven minutes to be much better at it than me and then I'd have a sad face. 
As it is, she's an outstanding quilter of nearly 40 years and that's where all her time is spent.


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

We have a great relationship. I do all the work, she buys buys more shoes with the $$$


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## fieldsofnaturalhoney (Feb 29, 2012)

Glock, no wife her to accompany me (she has been hiding amongst the rest of the ladies, like the queen bee she must be), but I haven't given up on finding her). Sure could use the extra set of hands in the yards. Man I bet you are kicking yourself for not getting that ultra breeze years ago


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## tommysnare (Jan 30, 2013)

my miracle wife loves bees. but,she loves getting away to do cutouts with me but isnt really into the day to day operations of having an apiary or two. im cool with that. i love having the escape and enjoy the woodworking by myself. we should be able to harvest enough this year )finally0 to hit some farmers markets and im sure we will have a blast together. yeah, im a lucky dude  and....she's hot !


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## tommysnare (Jan 30, 2013)

Acebird said:


> My wife bought the bees and the first hive and at some point they all became mine.:scratch:


hahahaha


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## ThePizzaGuy (Jan 5, 2014)

Ha, I have both.


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## Beeracuda (Mar 19, 2013)

My girlfriend is going to take care of the bees for me this year. We are going to have a training session on Sunday, then it will be pretty much up to her. She has taken several beekeeping courses with me, so I think she will do OK.

I start 6 months of chemo next week and then will have a stem cell transplant after that, so I don't know when I will be back in the hives. The worst part about it is I won't be able to enjoy any of the honey until I am through with the treatments and my immune system has built back up...


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## NCbeek (Mar 23, 2011)

My wife has absolutely no interest in bees. Doesn't even want to visit the hives. Probably a good thing. She would spend less time with them and get better results I'm afraid. I don't like a show-off anyway. I can screw up just fine on my own without an audience.


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## hideawayranch (Mar 5, 2013)

I mess with the bees, he messes with the bears! Good call!


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## matt1954 (Sep 8, 2010)

I am with JohnG. My wife does the books, pays the bills, takes orders for Nucs and Package Bees, bottles the honey and delivers it. She will help me secure the load when needed and assist me with loading and unloading but that is it.


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## NewJoe (Jul 1, 2012)

matt1954 said:


> I am with JohnG. My wife does the books, pays the bills, takes orders for Nucs and Package Bees, bottles the honey and delivers it. She will help me secure the load when needed and assist me with loading and unloading but that is it.


That's it???  What's left for you besides the fun part?


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

NewJoe said:


> What's left for you besides the fun part?


Well if it is his wife I hope she is there too. Oh, sorry you were thinking the bees.


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## justin (Jun 16, 2007)

i'll try posting a pic again. if it works this is my wife, she helps with the bees and makes lots of stuff with honey and beeswax and sells it to pay our bills.


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## NewJoe (Jul 1, 2012)

justin said:


> View attachment 9299
> 
> i'll try posting a pic again. if it works this is my wife, she helps with the bees and makes lots of stuff with honey and beeswax and sells it to pay our bills.


cool pic....both look like you are having fun!


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## bnm1000 (Oct 12, 2011)

Not only does my wife not help with the bees, but for some reason she thinks that her convertible bmw has more right to be in the garage than my bee equipment. Go figure….


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

Don't feel too bad. My wife thinks her 14 year old mini-van should be in the garage instead of my bee stuff.


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