# Why Beekeep?



## littlewanderer (May 13, 2015)

Hi, I'm very interested in starting my own hive over the summer. I've done a lot of research and feel confident in my ability to maintain the hive and keep it happy, but I'm having trouble convincing my S/O. It's not the costs so much as the idea of having bees swarm our backyard for the whole summer. I could use your help convincing her. I have all the statistics, all I want from you is a simple answer to the question "Why do you beekeep?" I'm interested in it because I want to help combat the affects of CCD on the world honeybee population, in any small way I can.


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## MariahK (Dec 28, 2014)

My husband didn't want them either but after years he finally gave in and so far doesn't mind them. I garden quite a bit and I think the improved crops was a big hit as well as getting honey from a local bee keeper and letting him taste the difference really pushed him over to the bee keeping side.


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## Royal (May 4, 2015)

I beekeep for several reasons. Firstly, beekeeping is simply amazingly fascinating and you can't truly understand the beauty of these insects until you have a hive for yourself. Secondly, I would like to conduct experiments on my poor bees after I successfully overwinter them this year, mainly for fun. Thirdly, the possibility of some financial gain to fund my other scientific endeavors as the idea of a part time job at fast food scares me  . And fourthly, simply the idea of being able to remain calm while surrounded by possibly deadly amounts of stinging insects (without a suit too!) is pretty cool.
As to the other things you mentioned- When I first started my three hives (10 days ago, actually), I put them over 1000 feet away from the house due to fears of the honeybees rampantly tearing through the area stinging all that moves (like many wasps around her). This is simply not the case at all. While I have a very gentle strain of bees (Italian), and my colony is very new and therefore less defensive, I have no fear of walking around my hives and seeing what they are up to at the entrances. It is very serene. 
As to your statement "I want to help combat the effects of CCD", I would hope you understand some things about that first. While I am very inexperienced, the general thoughts about "helping the bees" is don't. Unless you might plan to selectively breed them for stronger attributes, instead of fixing every single issue with chemicals, weakening the gene pool.(In my newb opinion I think CCD is usually just what intrepid commercial beekeepers label their failure to actually "keep" their bees well.) Another thing I love is peoples' reactions when they find out about my hobby.


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## Spark (Feb 24, 2011)

Unless you catch a swarm or buy an established hive it's too late for you in CT. You will have to wait till next year to start and better yet you really need to start this fall for the start of next year. Your best bet to convince your better half is to agree to remove the hive(s) if they become a problem. I don't think you will have any problems but sometimes people need to have the ability to see it for what it's worth.


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## grozzie2 (Jun 3, 2011)

I keep bees to harvest honey, for sale.

If I wanted to help combat whatever CCD is, I'd send money to the folks doing the research, instead of using it to buy hive and extracting equipment. I have no delusions that I'm going to change the world in any way. I'm doing it for the challenge of building up another business, this one happens to involve keeping bees.


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## HappyBeeing (Apr 6, 2013)

I have 3 busy hives and they've never swarmed the yard At All Except when a nuc box from a split I made literally "swarmed" away and chose a path over our driveway to cluster on a low hanging fir branch,instead of heading out toward the woods.
I have a 6' chickenwire fence around my apiary,part of it a reed privacy screen that's more solid, that blocks their direct flight path to the house 20 feet away,and the carport, so they all go "up,up and away". Bees range several Miles,ya know. They won't all be in your yard. Mine Do pollinate my fruit trees that are only 50-100 feet away though. DH has used the weed whacker right under those bee filled blossoms and no bee has ever cared about him or the noise at all. They do not want that action right in front of their hive doors though. I put down an old outdoor rug to rot under the cinder blocks in a 10x10 area so we wouldn't have to think about grass,etc for years.
I DID have to get our black lab away from the flight path One time(in 3 years). She was all frisky and I was watering nearby-outside my apiary enclosure, and she ran to me being playful, and attracted half a dozen bees(on their way home coming down) to fly down and try to sting her. I just brushed them off and got her away. They didn't care about Me at all. I think being black, she looked too much like a small bear to them! 

It's AWFULLY idealistic to pretend that you,as one beek,will "help" the bee population in any way (unless you give a home to a wild swarm that would otherwise perish). I too think CCD is a direct result of mites,pollutants of many kinds, and stressing-bee keeping practices. Backyard bee keepers very rarely encounter it....usually just mites,beetles,possibly rodents to look out for.

I keep bees because I'm frugal,and didn't want to buy honey anymore (got to using 2 gallons or more a year) AND I was fascinated by bees for many years. When I finally started my homesteading skills efforts I knew I'd be canning my fruit in honey not sugar too,so that cinched it.
I too 'read the news' a few years ago and thought the more people keeping bees the better, and being retired I have the time. I have a perfect rural location for it, and no livestock to keep me too busy(just a few laying hens and many pets) so I could fit it right into my life. No neighbors with a swimming pool to attract them. I've LOVED learning about bees and keeping them the last 3 years. It's just plain fun for me and they keep me interested by teaching me new things all the time. Wish I'd Always had bees now!


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## kaizen (Mar 20, 2015)

one reason - saving a species. if in 20 years we are all slowly dying as no bees are left at least I can say I tried. agreed too late for you this year. I ordered my bees that I'm getting this week last December.


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## enjambres (Jun 30, 2013)

Honey bees (despite what you've read) aren't in need of protecction - they are too valuable to humans as livestock to be allowed to become really endangered. 

I keep bees because they charmed their way into my life. All my hives are from swarms that moved into my barn walls. 

Enj.


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## honeyrobber (Feb 20, 2015)

I started beekeeping this year to reconnect with nature. Carry on our ancestral tradition of beekeeping. Learn some knowledge and skill that I can pass on to my children. I eagerly look forward to checking on my girls after a long week of being stuck indoors at the office.


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## dr4ngas (Mar 19, 2014)

I'm going into beekeeping for my personal use of the honey and wax. I like to make some candles for my own use.


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## Westhill (Jul 26, 2012)

My bees are about 12 feet from my back door--I have a tiny tiny yard. The hive entrance faces a 6-foot fence (about 4 feet away) and the hive is also next to the side of a garage, and these two things, plus a big tree and the proximity to the house, make the bees fly almost straight up. If you don't have blockages like these in your yard, you can put a 6- foot high fence section in front of the hive entrance and the bees will immediately fly higher than people's heads as soon as they leave the hive. They aren't all over the yard at all, and we all love watching them, either from the back yard, outside their flight path, or from the kitchen table window.

I got bee suits and veils for everyone in the family, and this let everyone feel included and interested. 

We keep bees because they're fascinating. We love nature, plants, and animals, and bees are some of the most intricate, complex creatures out there. Watching the bees is a daily pleasure. We like having a hive that helps pollinate our neighborhood. Honey is a nice extra!


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## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

I keep a few hives because of my facination of working with and learning the workings of a complex superorganism. I'm hooked, and have been for a couple decades.


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

grozzie2 said:


> I keep bees to harvest honey, for sale.
> 
> If I wanted to help combat whatever CCD is, I'd send money to the folks doing the research, instead of using it to buy hive and extracting equipment. I have no delusions that I'm going to change the world in any way. I'm doing it for the challenge of building up another business, this one happens to involve keeping bees.



Love you answer.. Chatting on the phone with people about packages I get hundreds of the "save the world with bees" comments every year. Since I'm in the package sales realm I just shut up, listen, and try to calmly explain that their effort is appreciated but in the big picture I doubt its gonna make a hoot of a difference. 

The real "save the bees" are not the back yard crowd... Its the slow and methodical work of the people gathering data and sharing the results that are making the most headway. People like those involved in the Bee Informed project. 

Wanderer........ its getting a little late for bees this year!!!!!! Better beat the SO hard cause those bees are gonna die if you don't get them rolling soon..


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## Learner (Jan 17, 2015)

For me, the attraction has always been the scientific/biological aspect of the colony. They are simply amazing creatures. The more I learn the more I love them.


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## Andrew Dewey (Aug 23, 2005)

littlewanderer said:


> combat the affects of CCD on the world honeybee population


Hmmm. While I would be delighted to welcome you to beekeeping, I think you need to do some critical studying if the above is your motivation. If you toss out alarmist media reports and look at the statistics you'll see that managed honey bee colony numbers are up in the past few years. I won't go so far as to say that CCD is totally made up; I will say that I have not seen it.

I got into beekeeping out of curiosity - an inclination to access an easy side of farming - and got hooked. My focus is on creating the best local environment I can for my honey bees and the native bees.

Most of the time you'll not know you have a colony of bees around (without looking or otherwise seeking them out) unless you do something silly like upend their hive.


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## BadBeeKeeper (Jan 24, 2015)

Royal said:


> As to your statement "I want to help combat the effects of CCD", I would hope you understand some things about that first. While I am very inexperienced, the general thoughts about "helping the bees" is don't. Unless you might plan to selectively breed them for stronger attributes, instead of fixing every single issue with chemicals, weakening the gene pool.(*In my newb opinion I think CCD is usually just what intrepid commercial beekeepers label their failure to actually "keep" their bees well.*) Another thing I love is peoples' reactions when they find out about my hobby.


Actually, the commercial keeper with whom I have been associating for going on about 5 years now is of the opinion that "CCD" does not exist, that it is not a "disease" or "disorder". According to him (and he says other commercial operators believe the same), colony loss is more aptly attributed to a combination of factors including stress from being frequently moved, poor nutrition from monocrop pollination, and varroa mites which weaken the bees and make them more susceptible to other diseases (including the some 11 or so viruses hosted and transmitted by the mites themselves) and further magnifies the effects of the first two stressors. I tend to agree with him.

Commercial operators don't have anything to gain by blaming some mysterious "disease" called "CCD". It is in their best interests to identify the true cause(s) of colony loss and develop strategies to avoid/manage the causes. Being willfully blind to the cause(s) would be business suicide.



dr4ngas said:


> I'm going into beekeeping for my personal use of the honey and wax. I like to make some candles for my own use.


LOL, for the money I've put into bees and equipment, if I'd just wanted honey and candles I could've purchased a lifetime supply.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>It's not the costs so much as the idea of having bees swarm our backyard for the whole summer.

I've had hives in my backyard for the last 41 years. I only had bees that harrassed people one time and we requeened them and then they were fine. And they only seemed to sting me... they would wait at the back door. Other people they just headbutted. But it's like getting a dog. Will the dog be nice? Probably. If it's not will you keep him? Probably not. But you might get a different dog. If a hive get's hot, requeen it.


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## SowthEfrikan (Mar 2, 2015)

Why? Honey is food and medicine. Wax is candles and other products. It goes a long way in surviving a zombie apocalypse.


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## AndrewoftheEast (Mar 29, 2015)

I think saying one beekeeper can not help is about as silly as saying one bee does not make honey. If you don't think you can change the world you need to change the way you think.


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## Chemguy (Nov 26, 2012)

This is going to come off as harsh, but I don't intend it to be so: I am not interested in convincing others why I am interested in keeping bees. That doesn't mean that I keep them despite my family, but rather that I do so in consideration of their concerns. What we've found, together, is that many of those concerns aren't borne out in actual experience. 'The worst' could happen, but it hasn't.

Why do *you *want to keep bees? Start there. There's no wrong answer


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## dsegrest (May 15, 2014)

I started keeping bees to pollinate my garden. I got addicted. Like Michael Bush my bees are faithful. They only sting me.


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## IsedHooah (Jan 13, 2015)

I got into beekeeping by listening to another beekeeper talk about their hives during a deployment. I was entranced and found myself doing tons of reading/watching on the subject during my "down time" and really could not get enough. My wife had her hesitations about the idea as well, and rightfully so. Who wants thousands of stinging insects within a stones throw from your house, especially ones that you put there on purpose? However, she now looks forward to the spring honey harvest and enjoys visiting the hives from time to time with me. If the only worry is about more bees in your yard or general vicinity, I can tell you that one hive will not create an overpopulation of bees. I have five hives within 100 ft. of my back door (pointing directly at my house) and I deal more with yellow jackets and paper wasps than anything else. If you get a hive and it ends up not working out for the both or you, then you will most likely not have any trouble selling it or giving it away in the Spring. Good luck and I hope it works out for ya! It has become a passion for me that I will continue for the foreseeable future.


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## dobeedobeedo (Oct 21, 2014)

I had a teacher in 3rd grade who had an observation hive in one window of our classroom. That was many, many years ago and I have never gotten over my fascination.

I just started keeping them this spring and I am enjoying all the lessons I am learning from them - and when they confuse me, I come here for answers.  They are quite an enjoyable hobby for me. And the lure of honey doesn't hurt! I have them in my backyard on one acre and everyone is getting along just fine.

I am now wondering why I didn't do this years ago.


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## John Scifres (Mar 25, 2014)

It was my 13 year old daughter's idea. But now that we started, it really is my hobby. Bees are cool. They are great teachers. They provide honey. And a well-managed hive should do no harm and certainly will help with many environmental aspects. 

The only time I see my bees in any large numbers is at the hive. I see them on clover and dandelion at times in the yard. Occasionally, one will visit the back porch especially if the hose is dripping in August. Swarms are only an issue for a short time in the spring and there are techniques to manage hives to prevent swarms. Bees in swarms are pretty nice too as they are intent on finding a new home and not defending anything. 

I have 5 hives in the back yard of my 1/3 acre suburban lot. My neighbors are pretty fascinated by the bees and appreciate a gift of honey now and then.


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## Robbin (May 26, 2013)

Well, as a sort of, almost prepper, Hives can/could provide and amazing source of calories. You can put honey on ANYTHING and it's better, you can drink it in tea, you can store it without refrigeration forever. It has medicinal purposes, it is a great barter commodity, I could go on an on... but we also found out that we just LOVE beekeeping!


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## Tim KS (May 9, 2014)

So....what am I to do for fun in my retirement if not to keep bees?


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## rob6118 (Jul 26, 2014)

To investigate a potential business which would work on the side. The girls really don't care that I work 60hrs a week at another job.

I love the outdoors and nature and am also experimenting with homesteading / self sufficient gardening

I'm scared of bees

I want to help nature and bees and my own garden

I want to be an example for my first born arriving in a month

FYI i started 3 packages foundationless last year on July 25 in zone 8 belgium. I am 3/3 for hives this year and added a 2nd 10/12 frame deep on each hive two weeks ago. Maybe not common but for sure possible. I just figured even if they died at least i got 3 months experience and drawn comb to start over again this year. Price wasnt too expensive to pay for such experience.....


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>I think saying one beekeeper can not help is about as silly as saying one bee does not make honey. If you don't think you can change the world you need to change the way you think.

Reminds me of the story about the two kids who were throwing starfish back into the ocean that were beached. A man stops them and explains that they can't possibly make any difference when you consider the number of starfish and the amount of ocean. One of the kids picks up another starfish and throws it back in the ocean and says "it made a difference to that one!"


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## scorpionmain (Apr 17, 2012)

As an Iraq Combat Veteran, I took to beekeeping to reduce stress and help focus my attention & skills on something positive.
When I came back I struggled for a long time. Getting into beekeeping helped a lot and what really helps me now is that I can help others.


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## Cabin (Nov 30, 2014)

littlewanderer said:


> Hi, I'm very interested in starting my own hive over the summer. I've done a lot of research and feel confident in my ability to maintain the hive and keep it happy, but I'm having trouble convincing my S/O. It's not the costs so much as the idea of having bees swarm our backyard for the whole summer. I could use your help convincing her. I have all the statistics, all I want from you is a simple answer to the question "Why do you beekeep?" I'm interested in it because I want to help combat the affects of CCD on the world honeybee population, in any small way I can.


What does your S/O like to do? If you want to convince her work on her interest. My wife gardens, we have very few pollinators around the house. She also has chickens, the electric fence that also protects the chicken coop is a good selling point as well. Telling her honey from the weeds she is allergic to helps reduce allergic reactions helped. Getting something good from those darn Russian olive bushes and other weeds sounded good as well.

The hardest sell was my allergy to yellow jackets and hornets.


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## grozzie2 (Jun 3, 2011)

AndrewoftheEast said:


> I think saying one beekeeper can not help is about as silly as saying one bee does not make honey. If you don't think you can change the world you need to change the way you think.


When I was a 20 something full of p&v, I was very altruistic, and had the attitude 'going to change the world'. Wind the clock forward 30+ years, and in hindsight, what we find is the world changed me.

As far as saving the bees go, there are millions of colonies out there, the bee population is many times greater than the human population on this planet. Bees are nowhere near being in danger of extinction, no matter how much the popular press would like you to believe otherwise. Even still, if we dont count the colonies I brought in by purchasing nucs and packages this spring, we started into the last winter with a dozen, and today 9 of them are going strong, each of them has spawned an offspring colony in the form of a nuc with a cell that emerged yesterday. My bees are healthy and strong, they get fed when they are hungry, we provide good housing, and they have the best health care plan money can buy. They are prospering and increasing in numbers, so I'm doing my part.

Saving the bees is not my end goal. My end goal is cash in the cash box, and to reach my revenue targets, I need more colonies, and those colonies need to be healthy and strong. Next spring, part of my revenue plan will be selling bees to folks that want to 'save the bees'. Inevitably, a lot of them will want to do it 'naturally', which in my opinion amounts to throwing them in a box, then telling them 'sink or swim baby'. Most of those bees will die. But in a round-about way, they are helping, because the revenue from that sale will result in equipment for 2 more colonies in my back lot, and I'll look after those colonies. They will indirectly contribute to saving the bees, but it wont be the bees left without groceries and a health care plan that do the surviving, it'll be those in my boxes that have ample groceries and good health care.

5 years ago, we started by putting packages into 3 sets of boxes, two of which prospered. Today I've got 2 stands full of double deep colonies out back, a few more in a raspberry farm for this bloom, and a row of nucs starting to grow out, all prodigy of those 2 original prospering colonies. I'm not trying to save the bees, but if indeed they need saving, it is a happy side effect of what I am doing.


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## Hive-n-honey (Apr 19, 2015)

Spot on Chem... I just started this year... always been fascinated by insects and needed something to do near the house as I started being the care-giver for my elderly parents. Not only have I started doing cut-outs/swarm removal in the area but building hive bodies and NUC boxes keeps me working in the shop most days. I have even designed a hive stand I'm working to patent. Beeking has given me back what I thought I lost a long time ago... the drive to get up each morn just to look at my girls to see if they made it thu another day... are they happy... then I'm happy...


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## DanielD (Jul 21, 2012)

A good reason to keep bees - their stings could be good for you. And they get easier along the way, the stings. Hope that helps.


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