# Least favorite part of beekeeping



## shawnwri (Jul 31, 2006)

BjornBee, reminded me of what I dislike about beekeeping, but what is your least favorite part? 

I don't mind the heat, enjoy doing bee talks to schools, and find assembling frames and woodenware relaxing, but the !#$%@ ticks and chiggers I can't stand. Guess I need to be one of those backyard beeks who keeps them on the patio.


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## mlewis48 (Nov 24, 2007)

I would have to say that this year was one of the worst years for ticks,at least in my part of Ohio. That ranks up there on the I don't like list.Wax Moths top the list. Sooner or later in a beekeepers life they will have to deal with these nasty little s.o.b's.


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## BenC (Mar 18, 2007)

Picking through a dead-out colony in the spring can be depressing.


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## Eaglerock (Jul 8, 2008)

I don't have ticks. Never had them on me. Now watch... :no: *knocking on wood*
I hate to see a hive die out. 

But on the upside. What do you love most?
I love the smell, when walking near the hives, of the honey. In September and now, I can smell the smell of yester-year when I was beekeeping in the 60's and 70's. I have so missed that. I love watching them working and the cloud of bees coming and going. I love watching the dance... those of you with OB hives have seen it. -the excitement of them "yelling" look what I found and here is where it is.


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## shawnwri (Jul 31, 2006)

Eaglerock said:


> But on the upside. What do you love most?


Jars of fresh golden honey, smell of new wood and wax waiting for the bees, a successful swarm recovery, my kids asking "can I go see the bees", seeing lots of pollen being brought in, a warm sunny day in Spring when the bees are getting active, etc.


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## mlewis48 (Nov 24, 2007)

I have to agree with you on picking through a dead out, that sucks because all of the should haves and would haves come into play. Faliure, at least for me, is a hard pill to swallow. Sometimes it can't be prevented but..... After thinking about it I would have to say that Winter is the part that I hate most of all. Not being able to go about my routine of checking my hives and getting ready to watch the gold come out of the gate on the bottom of the extractor. On the brighter side, I agree with you on the smells of the hive. I work for a huge candle factory and if I could capture the scents of the hive and put it into a candle, that would be something!


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## brooksbeefarm (Apr 13, 2008)

*least favorite*

Ticks and chiggers don!t bother me,when my uncle was alive and was helping me,he would tell people that we drank so much beer that they would get drunk and fall off.My least favorite job is cleaning and storing supers for winter,sealing the cracks with masking tape and putting in the moth crystals.(don!t like the smell of moth balls)but I hate moths more.


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## tonyp (Mar 16, 2008)

Having a lady pull up in a 50k brand new lincoln navigator three hundred dollar pants suit and at least 10k worth of jewelry and diamonds say would you take 3 for it I'm on a budget.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Eaglerock said:


> I don't have ticks. Never had them on me. Now watch...


I had a tick once. The doctor said I outgrew it.


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## tonyp (Mar 16, 2008)

On the upside, scouting for new areas and finding one that looks to be your best honey production yard yet.


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## paintingpreacher (Jul 29, 2006)

I do not especially like searching for the queen in a hot hive.


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## smgchandler (Apr 20, 2008)

worrying about what your missing -i have yet to see anything ugly or bad in my hive and dont know or just think there is something there but not seeing it -- when to move things around or to change something - i want the best for them and want them to do well especially through the winter - once they get the comb drawn out and can use it then you have all the other mess to worry about and watch for but yet you dont want to go into the hive too much - whether to use chemicals or not - just not having enough experience under my belt is the worst part - somebody start a - what do you like best about it cause this one is depressing  ------ you know you have had a good day when you come home and go feed them and when you open the hives they are all working like the devil and they dont even notice your there doing your thing and listening to all the buzzing going on is something that you cant experience unless you keep bees :thumbsup:


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## tct1w (Jun 6, 2008)

i guess my favorite part being a first year beek is how much I got into the whole process this year. All the things I learned,the twenty seven sting I got(yeah kept count) and the anticipation for next year. Making a split of two and doing it all over again. The honey I will be getting in the spring. Having a blast CU Dave


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## GRIMBEE (Apr 3, 2007)

Labor involved in crush and strain not to mention the wax they have to rebuild. Next year I buy an extractor


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

My aching back...


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## Sundance (Sep 9, 2004)

BenC said:


> Picking through a dead-out colony in the spring can be depressing.



Boy I'll second that one........... brings tears to the eyes.


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

*Bad news*

How about picking through a dead out APIARY


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## Southern Bee (Feb 23, 2008)

Favorite: Watching the bees! Drinking a lazy cup of coffee while watching the bees fly off into the early morning sunshine; seeing the spunky little guard bees all lined up on their 'front porch' just itching to jump on something; noticing a forager drifting among the blossoms happily gathering pollen, watching the housekeeper bees chase a hive beetle out of the hive; observing the queens stately march across a frame; watching a shy new bee emerge from its cell; seeing a healthy hive activly go about its busy day 

Least favorite: a bee in my bonnet, or rather Stuck in my Hair! Getting stung is one thing, its to be expected. But having a bee stuck in your hair, you cant find her, but you can HEAR her, getting more and more adjitated, zzzzz, more and more angry, zzzzzz and you just KNOW any second ZZZZZZZ you are going to get ZAPPED! Then again once the suspence is over, your either stung or the bee is gone, the left over adrenaline rush is GREAT!


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## Beaches' Bee-Haven Apiary (May 22, 2007)

Favorites...

Least: The stench of SHB

Most: The sweet smell of a healthy hive working a honey flow!

-Nathanael


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## Eaglerock (Jul 8, 2008)

shawnwri said:


> Jars of fresh golden honey, smell of new wood and wax waiting for the bees, a successful swarm recovery, my kids asking "can I go see the bees", seeing lots of pollen being brought in, a warm sunny day in Spring when the bees are getting active, etc.


Never even thought of jars of honey, wood , swarm recovery,  good one... Kids   and Pollen... I love watching them being it in too... 
Ver ver good, thank you for reminding me of the good things I forgot about.


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## Eaglerock (Jul 8, 2008)

Michael Palmer said:


> I had a tick once. The doctor said I outgrew it.


Laughing... ummmm I won't ask.


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## Eaglerock (Jul 8, 2008)

paintingpreacher said:


> I do not especially like searching for the queen in a hot hive.


are you wanting to save her?


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## Kelbee (Jan 3, 2006)

Accidently killing a hive. I can handle it if I lose a hive(s) for some other reason but I don't like it when it's my fault.

Also, the uncertainty. Not knowing if this will be a good year or a bad one. Or if things don't go well, not knowing if it's because of something I did or didn't do.


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## Zbees (Jun 17, 2008)

hate: the fact its fall and were readying for winter. I hate forgetting somethingwhen I'm all the way out to the bee yard.

love: the satisfaction of doing them right, having a successful harvest, having healthy bees, building new equipment, teaching my children all about bees, handing out jars of honey to friends and family, walking through my fields and seeing "my" bees doing their thing. the sounds and smells of the hive. screwing up, learninnthe hard way and chalking it up to experience for the next time. In other words, I guess I love every aspect.


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## justin (Jun 16, 2007)

dislike...having to suit up.having to go thru a hive,and bug all the bees to find out something most of you could tell just by watching the entrance.accidentally smashing bees.yellowjackets and mice.winter.
likes...the routines of feeding,checking on hives,the huge learning curve,the smells and sounds,sitting with my kids watching the entrances.the honey.seeing bees in the garden


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## tecumseh (Apr 26, 2005)

#2 on the dislike list... bees up the pant leg that make you dance. those irish tap dancer don't have anything on me...

#1 on the dislike list.. bees inside the veil that then decide to crawl into you ear canal to deliver a tune to ya' in a very personal way.

most liked aspects of beekeeping... 
1) well for certain the smells (smell is one sense wired directly into your cpu with no retranslation in between).

2)being considered to be a bit unplumb by my customers and the general public. quite likely they are not totally incorrect in this regards.


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## BjornBee (Feb 7, 2003)

Upside....

Sitting under a shade tree at the end of the day and knowing I had a full day of production as I look out over the orchards in complete calm and nothing but the birds chirping, and the bees buzzing. 

Middle....
Thanking everyone for listening to what I had to say, after giving a presentation. I remember both the let down and relief, all mixed into one, after putting on a production play. You are coming off a high, but relieved at the same time. You are glad it's over, but sad it's over. Hard to explain. It's also that way when I'm filling the last orders for the season.

Least...
Having people call about a nuc or queen on the first day in the spring it hits sixty, while the snow has not yet all melted, while asking if I'm on schedule while mentioning that packages are already coming up from down south. And expecting me to be on the same production schedule in Pennsylvania, even though I clearly explained all this stuff months ago when they ordered.


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## Oldbee (Sep 25, 2006)

Least favorite: Painting woodenware. Of course, I don't like painting in general; houses, enterior/exterior,...yuk.
Cleaning comb honey frames for re-use.

Most favorite: In the early spring [March] when the temperature has risen to 50 degrees and the bees are flying about. But there is snow,.. still on the ground that is,. 'spotted',..here and there with the brown/yellow 'poop' of my bees that have been cooped up in their hive for six months; I KNOW the feeling, lol. Who would have ever thought that,....'poop',.. would be so beautiful? And then, and then; when the first pollen of the spring is brought in from the maples and the willows; the bees are happy [so I think],...............and so am I.

I don't think there is a more glorious moment in a beekeepers life when he/she goes out to their apiary and lifts a heavy frame of pure white, wax/capped HONEY.


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## NeilV (Nov 18, 2006)

The heat in August. If you "don't mind the heat," you don't have heat.


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## NasalSponge (Jul 22, 2008)

I have to agree with sooo many folks here...... I do love the smells of the hive....sittin and watchin the ladies work their little fannies off for me on a warm spring day...building gear...(I too hate to paint) //sigh// Come on spring!!:waiting:


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## hummingberd (Aug 26, 2006)

Not having the resources: knowledge, time, money, experience, skill to do this as well as I'd like... I wish I could make my own hive parts. My husband is very supportive and would help, but he's too busy trying to keep our vehicles running  Also, I hate when a guest or family member gets stung after I've assured them a million times "honey bees are friendly and won't sting unless provoked." Of course provocation is in the eye of the beholder, right 

What I love most is sharing my limited knowledge and experience with interested non-beekeepers. Generally people are fascinated by the "mysterious" world of beekeeping. A small section of cut comb honey goes a LONG way for people who know nothing about honey bees. Regardless of what I lack, I know I'm still very fortunate to be able to do this at all!

K


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## dickm (May 19, 2002)

I hate looking at a hive that did not thrive and I can't see what's wrong.

dickm


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## fatscher (Apr 18, 2008)

Least favorite: I have several... Having the queen fly away, accidentally killing the queen, seeing 300 varroa mites on your mite tray.

MOst favorite: I have several... Pulling a frame on that early spring day and seeing an egg in almost every cell, proving mama queen is going back to work. On a cone trap-out, the moment when the bees adopt the bait hive ...seeing that first red maple pollen on the legs in March. Touching nurse bees on the comb with the back of your fingers.

God, is it springtime yet??????????????????????????????? sheesh! It's gonna be a long winter....any support groups out there wanna go to a bar and cry in their beer with me that spring is 5 months away??


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## berkshire bee (Jan 28, 2007)

dislike: not having a permanent place to set up for extracting, candle, soap and lib balm making. My kitchen currently has buckets on and under the table as I bottle honey. Cases of honey are stacked are in the living room. Once the kitchen table is clear (for a day maybe) It will be filled back up with candle making, then hand lotion and lip balm. My wife is very understanding.

Love all aspects of making and assembling woodenware- 
talking to the public and other beekeepers-
just plain enjoying the bees as they go about their business- 
the smells of ripening honey, including the goldenrod- 
the smell of melted wax that fills the entire house when I make candles
photographing bees
the amazing feeling of a connection to the earth and nature


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