# Beekeeping is Fun!!!



## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

Tom Fran said:


> And, as we start to harvest some honey, it is even more "fun." My only regret with beekeeping is that I didn't start about 20 years ago.


You can say that again brother. I find building the equipment just as fun. As well as buying all sorts of stuff that I might need in the future. Like 59 board-man feeders and 70 Drone frames and 1000 deep wood frames. Now all I need is for the darn things to multiply enough to fill all this equipment I have under the eaves of the house. 

I have negotiated with two people to let me use their properties to place hives. Not sure I am doing it correctly one wants me to cut his 26 acres and then I can place as many hives as I want. I am thinking 50 would be a good growth number.

So I think my obsessive compulsive is getting filled by this hobby.


----------



## Tom Fran (May 18, 2010)

EastSideBuzz said:


> I find building the equipment just as fun.


I agree!!!


----------



## Bighorn06 (May 23, 2009)

I have found much the same thing. The more I learn the more I enjoy the bees. And I regret not starting sooner. 

Tony


----------



## Bighorn06 (May 23, 2009)

Double post


----------



## Mike Snodgrass (Mar 11, 2010)

"this expensive "hobby"....I was at a sports store the other day and found a single golf clob, a titanium driver that cost more than i have spent so far, buying all my wooden ware ect., for ..4 hives! A buddy of mine is into raceing "CHEAP" race cars...he has spent 5 times as much! Where people just starting in this hobby should spend "LOTS" of money is books!!!


----------



## Tom Fran (May 18, 2010)

Mike,

I guess that some people, like me, can make it expensive. I dove in and bought a "deluxe garden hive," and air nailers, and other things that have made it more expensive than it had to be, but I'm not complaining about the expense. I'm having fun!


----------



## NasalSponge (Jul 22, 2008)

Well, apparently you guys have never painted a bunch of screened bottom boards.....I HATE doing those! All kidding aside, it is a very fun and enjoyable hobby.


----------



## charmd2 (May 25, 2008)

Tom, actually as far as hobbies go.. My dear hubbies hobby is Tournament bass fishing. Just small local tournaments, but still.. His boat is $12,000 and it is cheap.. A single reel costs more than a nuc. He tends to fish with eight or nine poles on the deck at a time. I am fairly convinced that if I had any clue how much money went into spinner baits, crank baits, buzz baits, and plastics I would have a coronary. (we keep seperate financials) 

My brother races hobby stock race cars. The car was $4000, every Friday night's race is $30 to enter. Even if you win you only get $25 prize. 

I figure I have the cheap hobby. Even with all my bee purchases. 

Wow.. rereading that makes me sound less like a lower middle class income and more like an upper middle class income.


----------



## Cascade Failure (Feb 4, 2010)

This is down right cheap compared to my shooting habit. Especially with recent ammo prices.

It is indeed fun though. I love all the little "firsts".


----------



## Tom Fran (May 18, 2010)

OK, Y'all are helping me get the proper perspective here. I guess the way I was looking at it was that after having spent about $800 to get set up, I was going to have to sell quite a few "honey bears" of honey to recoup my initial investment. But, I can see from some of the posts, that comparatively speaking, beekeeping isn't so expensive.

Now I feel better about all the money I've spent getting into this, and I will even have more fun!!!


----------



## bobber128 (Jun 6, 2010)

Cheaper than shooting, and a whole heck of a lot cheaper than my other hobby, building motorcycles...


----------



## honeydreams (Aug 10, 2009)

Mike Snodgrass is right a new beekeeper should spend money on books. some books to buy 
and this is a ever growing list.
The Hive and the Honey Bee by Joe M Graham. Beekeeping For Dumbies by Howland Blackiston, The Back Yard Beekeeper by Kim Flottum. keeping Bees And Making Honey by Alison Benjermin & Brian McCallum. And ABC's and XYZ's Of Bee Culture. Hive management by Richard E. Bonney, Natural Beekeeping by Ross Conrad.
these books are what I read befor I got my bees from them I learned that these Authors have good foundation and agrement of proper beekeeping. These books over lap alot but also complement each other too.
Read these book and really open your love of beekeeping


----------



## NasalSponge (Jul 22, 2008)

Yes but if they did that there would be far fewer posts on here!!

Also: The how to do it book of beekeeping by Richard Taylor!! A Classic.


----------



## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

Tom Fran said:


> I guess the way I was looking at it was that after having spent about $800 to get set up, I was going to have to sell quite a few "honey bears" of honey to recoup my initial investment. But, I can see from some of the posts, that comparatively speaking, beekeeping isn't so expensive.


Wait until you need extracting equipment. I am up to 35 or so hives. Will probably add another tonight when we go get this swarm I just got a call about. Maybe will hit 50 at the end of the season going into winter. We will see.

Probably spent 1500 last year and 2k or so this year so far. I got a couple gallons of honey so far. But, when all these hives produce I am going to have some issues. Good issues but, will have to learn how to market and sell etc. I could have some serious amounts of honey when the weather turns better.


----------



## Tom Fran (May 18, 2010)

EastSideBuzz said:


> I could have some serious amounts of honey when the weather turns better.


That sounds like a good "problem" to have.


----------



## Presidential (Jun 10, 2010)

We're $500 into our first hive.

My son is 10 yrs old and said, "Bees are cool... I'm gonna take this 4-H project". I said, "OK". No clue what we were getting into. No regrets!

Next year, I may want my own hive. I am just "support staff" on this one! He's doing remarkably well, no fear. More than ever, he thinks "Bees are cool"!

BTW - Thanks OSU & Dept of Ag for the 4-H Beekeeping Start-Up Grant!!


----------



## MichaelShantz (May 9, 2010)

The trick to cheap beekeeping is to wait until the wife asks for a project that requires a tool that can be used to make beekeeping equipment. Assign the cost of said tool to the wife's project. Then one doesn't have an expensive hobby, you have an expensive wife.

I planted pine trees 16 years ago, cut a few last year, used a Granberg chainsaw mill to make lumber, built the supers, frames, etc. I even made my smoker from some used propane/butane campingaz canisters. I work hard at maintaining the illusion that this is a cheap, nay profitable!, hobby.


----------



## Tom Fran (May 18, 2010)

MichaelShantz said:


> The trick to cheap beekeeping is to wait until the wife asks for a project that requires a tool that can be used to make beekeeping equipment. Assign the cost of said tool to the wife's project. Then one doesn't have an expensive hobby, you have an expensive wife.
> QUOTE]
> 
> That sounds like a good trick! I'll have to try that one.


----------



## JBees (Feb 9, 2010)

Is the government going to have us get permits for each bee? Or maybe 15 day waiting period for a bee stinger? Just kidding. These bees are just fun. But don't tell the government. Keep the buzz going.
Jbees


----------



## Tom Fran (May 18, 2010)

Each bee will have to apply for a "concealed carry" permit, for which they will have to pay a "fee." 

I guess bees believe in the right to "keep and bear" stingers. But, robber bees are against their having that right of course.


----------



## bobber128 (Jun 6, 2010)

JBees said:


> Is the government going to have us get permits for each bee? Or maybe 15 day waiting period for a bee stinger? Just kidding. These bees are just fun. But don't tell the government. Keep the buzz going.
> Jbees


You kidding? I told one person in my city government (a clerk) that I was a beekeeper, and now the city's calling me with free bees!!! I'm working on my first trap-out as we speak, compliments of the government. And I'm the only beekeeper the city knows about, so I'm getting all the swarm calls, too!! It's all in how you present it...


----------



## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

Tom Fran said:


> Each bee will have to apply for a "concealed carry" permit, for which they will have to pay a "fee."
> 
> I guess bees believe in the right to "keep and bear" stingers. But, robber bees are against their having that right of course.


CAP & TRADE BABY, CAP & TRADE. Our bee's will expel to much gasses and we will have to pay for each cleansing flight. That is why we have Bee House Gas problems.


----------



## duck_nutt (Apr 27, 2010)

man....reading this I realize just how 'cheap' I am...maybe my wife has been right all along..anyway....I have very little invested in my hive so far...I built all my supers from scraps...frames too...I bought a smoker and a veil 15 years ago. I don't even have a real hive tool yet...but I like you, Love it. wishing I had started 20 years ago too! right now I'm concentrating on the one hive so I can later have brood and full drawn frames of wax(priceless stuff).....best of luck with your hobby!


----------



## Tom Fran (May 18, 2010)

That's not being "cheap" - that's being "resourceful," and that's a good thing!


----------



## NasalSponge (Jul 22, 2008)

I can tell you this....if you ever get out of it for any reason NEVER SELL YOUR GEAR!! NEVER!! Because if your are like me and many others in here one day you will remember the joys of beeking and it will cost you a whole lot more to get back in! I got started beeking in the 80's for like $400, I have spent $4000 so far getting back in and I haven't even purchased jars yet!! :doh:

NEVER SELL YOUR GEAR.


----------



## Tom Fran (May 18, 2010)

nasalsponge said:


> i have spent $4000 so far getting back in and i haven't even purchased jars yet!!


yikes!!!


----------



## Oldbee (Sep 25, 2006)

_"...today, my wife and I just completed our 4th hive inspection, and I just have to say that it was just plain *fun*!"_

_"And, as we start to harvest some honey, it is even more "*fun*." My only regret with beekeeping is that I didn't start about *20 years ago*."_

_"But, I can see from some of the posts, that comparatively speaking, *beekeeping isn't so expensive*."_

_"Now I feel better about all the money I've spent getting into this, and I will even have more *fun*!!!  "_

_"We're $500 into our first hive."_

_"My son is 10 yrs old and said, "Bees are cool..."_


I think there has been just,.. "too much fun" with this thread.  I agree, I to, wish I had restarted beekeeping 20 years ago.

I don't mean to be a,.."party pooper",... *However!!* Let's get your bees/colonies through their first winter and be successfully "booming" hives next spring! Have you heard of spring,.."dead-outs"? Have you heard of CCD,. *mites*, Nosema,.moisture/ventillation problems in the winter,...etc,...etc.? Treatments,...should I or shouldn't I. How much and when? Is my timing right to do any good?
Next spring, when some beekeepers have to spend "another",. $500 -$8,000 [beekeeping friend]] to replace their hives/loses, we will see how "much *fun*" keeping bees really is and,..seperate the "men",.. from the boys. 

I like having bees/a few colonies to,..take care of; don't know what I would do without them.


----------



## Tom Fran (May 18, 2010)

Oldbee said:


> I think there has been just,.. "too much fun" with this thread.  I agree, I to, wish I had restarted beekeeping 20 years ago.
> 
> I don't mean to be a,.."party pooper",... *However!!* Let's get your bees/colonies through their first winter and be successfully "booming" hives next spring! Have you heard of spring,.."dead-outs"? Have you heard of CCD,. *mites*, Nosema,.moisture/ventillation problems in the winter,...etc,...etc.? Treatments,...should I or shouldn't I. How much and when? Is my timing right to do any good?
> Next spring, when some beekeepers have to spend "another",. $500 -$8,000 [beekeeping friend]] to replace their hives/loses, we will see how "much *fun*" keeping bees really is and,..seperate the "men",.. from the boys.


I'm sorry, sir, that it must have upset you that we were extolling the "fun" of beekeeping. Maybe you could start a thread and name it, *"Why beekeeping isn't fun."* What profit is there in coming here and throwing cold water over some folks who are enjoying their beekeeping experience (for now anyway.) :s


----------



## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

You gotta excuse Oldbee. He gets a bit grumpy at times (comes from the first part of his name), but then mellows out and spreads the love (comes after working the second part of his name). :gh:


----------



## beedeetee (Nov 27, 2004)

Plus he is actually using  now to help us better understand him.


----------



## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

Wow sucking the fun out of a thread. So he has his good days.?:no: Well I started with 2 hives last year and went into the winter with 12 came out with 8 add 20 packages and with swarms have 35 or so. Have not counted lately. This is fun. New table saws, drill presses, Sanders, planers and nail guns. Fun fun fun. Going to build a new shop just to build stuff in. Fun Fun Fun.


----------



## bobber128 (Jun 6, 2010)

$500-$8000?!?! Yikes, them bees better be made of gold!!! I don't even have $500 into my 3 hives, 2 full suits, tools, and extractor!!! 

At any rate, I enjoy beeking, and am looking forward to many years of replacing spring dead-outs if that's what I have to do to keep bees.... It's worth it....


----------



## Presidential (Jun 10, 2010)

No, Oldbee, I hadn't heard of any of that! LOL! Good thing, too!
We're starting from zero and learning as we go.
Reading lots of books and these threads has helped us take one step at a time.

As I said in my previous post, working with a child on this project is wonderful... no fear. Kids are taught to just go for it - try something new. Adults are told to be cautious, prepared, and insured.


----------



## toms1arrow (May 7, 2010)

I have 40 apple and a thousand or more Oak, Maple and Walnut tree's as a hobby. (15 years) So I thought I should get some bees to help with pollination. I knew of a gentleman with some bees so I contacted him and he said he had extra equipment and would sell 2 complete hives for $60.00 minus the bee's. Cheap, great! Now all I needed was 2 Pkgs of Italians from Dadant and a bee suit, smoker, smoker fuel, hive tool, foundation,sugar,water,baggies, paint and pallets and I would be all set.

Both pkgs ( Queens)failed so had to buy nucs to keep going. Absolutely love the bees. Have to stop and watch whenever I'm around them! So went to Dadant yesterday and picked up Two more complete hives for next spring. First 2 then 4. I'm a little nervous on how this ends up! $60.00 cheap!


----------



## Tom Fran (May 18, 2010)

Toms1arrow,

Sounds like a great marriage - tree husbandry and beekeeping. Being a woodworker, I know that those walnut trees are going to be worth a lot of money some day. Physical assets are going to be worth more than greenbacks very soon.


----------



## toms1arrow (May 7, 2010)

Tom Fran, My grandmother showed me the joy of growing plants when I was 3 yrs old I guess. Never lost the love. Planted the tree's just to watch them grow. ( sounds like Johnny cash folsom prison song) but true! Thought the grandchildren that I don't have yet may benefit from the harvest. My motto is cut them when their ready, not before,why let them rot. The apple tree's have been a blast, work but fruitful. Pun intended. Bee' and tree's coincide.


----------



## toms1arrow (May 7, 2010)

You know getting started in bee's could be like playing a bad hand of poker,
One minute it is cheap then the next minute you're all in! Been there done that!:no:


----------



## Mike S (Dec 25, 2009)

I truly agree with all about this being a fun hobby. I love the wood working too, building all my own woodware except frames. I always look forward to heading out to the bee yards and checking the hives. I bought my son a bee suit and hoping he takes to it too and so far so good. My wife dosent want around the bees but hoping to get her into extracting, bottling and saling the honey. Hoping to get the whole family involved. I started last year with one hive, up to 16 now with more built and ready to go. Wish I had started 30 yrs ago too, I'll have fun with the time I have left.I really dont mind the expense and if we harvest honey and make a litle money thats just icing on the cake. I love meeting all the new bee people and this forum also, its a great hobby.


----------



## Tom Fran (May 18, 2010)

Mike S said:


> My wife dosent want around the bees but hoping to get her into extracting, bottling and saling the honey. Hoping to get the whole family involved.


My wife loves to do the honey part. I do the work in the hive and build the woodenware, but when we harvest the honey, that's when I hand the ball off to her. 

I'm also building (2) hives for my son who will be coming to visit on the 4th of July weekend. So, he will be "beecoming" a beekeeper as well. So, like you, I'm getting everybody into it.


----------



## Mike Snodgrass (Mar 11, 2010)

$8000.....somebody saw somebody comeing!!!!:no:


----------



## StevenG (Mar 27, 2009)

Mike Snodgrass said:


> $8000.....somebody saw somebody comeing!!!!:no:


:lpf: Actually not... when you move from a few colonies to more than 25, your extracting setup (to be more efficient) can easily run $2200. You want a chain uncapper, double that. My wife asked me the other day how much we had invested in the bees. Got 30 hives, going to 50-60. I told her "ask me in two years, when we've started making some money, and I'll tell you then." I live longer that way. Then you add storage containers or tanks for the honey, and so on so forth, it adds up real quick when you move beyond 10-15 colonies. If your hives average 75 pounds of honey when you harvest, where are you going to store it and process it prior to sale? 30 hives you're talking a ton of honey and more. :applause: If it's a good year.

It is fun, and still cheaper than some other grown man hobbies...like car racing, boating, etc etc etc. :lpf: I tell her it keeps me out of the bars and off the streets.
Regards,
Steven


----------



## JBees (Feb 9, 2010)

Me too. I guess some days are better than others.


----------



## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

I am at 4 grand already. I spent about a grand on my first 6 hives with boxes and packages last year. Bought couple hundred super frames last year also. Then this year bought 50 boxes 1000 frames cost me 2k. Bought 22 packages this year that was like 1500. Just bought 50 supers and 25 SBB's. Wow I think it might be more like 5k. When I actually get some honey on my 40 hives I might need the more expensive de-capping equipment and an extractor. 

Is this still a hobby at 40 hives.? :s


----------



## Reid (Dec 3, 2008)

Yep, this is a great hobby/job/obsession/infatuation.
As crazy as this sounds, I even had a great time two weekends ago removing a colony from chimney with a 30 degree pitch to the roof! 
Ropes, harnesses, custom tools, risk of falling . . . good stuff!
~Reid


----------



## Tom Fran (May 18, 2010)

I guess, when it comes down to it, it isn't just about cost-effectiveness, we do it, because we like to do it. Maybe we will make some money, maybe we'll break even or even come out in the red, but we enjoy the experience.


----------



## Bighorn06 (May 23, 2009)

I am no doubt in the RED and not moving out of it. But that is OK, this is a hobby for me. And I enjoy it. I have 12 hives and have only bought one, but the extractor and accessories have cost a bit. But I am still below 1000.


----------



## honeyman46408 (Feb 14, 2003)

All hobbys are expensive but I dont know another that you have a chance of breaking even or makeing a bit of money, not any I have ever been in opcorn:


----------



## MikeJ (Jan 1, 2009)

I can see it as fun - but I think OldBee is right to say, it's fun right now but will you feel the same way when things start going a little bad?

God has blessed us greatly in that both our hives last year made it through the winter and we now have coming up on 5 from splitting because of swarms. There actually appears to be a honey harvest coming too  so yes that is fun.

If on the other hand, come next spring we have lost most of them it will not be so much fun. The purpose for getting the bees was to add another possible product to the family farm.

I enjoy the bees - 
Mike


----------



## warbuk (Feb 9, 2010)

i too enjoy the bees very much. i got started with a 3lb package this april and had planned on getting a couple more next spring. but my hive has grown so large and quick (2 deeps and 2 supers are full) that i'm just going to try and split the hive next spring (if things stay well)

i want to start small and work my way up. i'm in no hurry. i enjoy the one hive i have.


----------



## honeyman46408 (Feb 14, 2003)

> If on the other hand, come next spring we have lost most of them it will not be so much fun.


You are right it isnt much fun when you go into winter with 20 hives and come out with 3 and if I had all the bees I have lost in the last 12 years I would have over 100 now but I do have 25 oh 26 I just picked up another gum today 

P.S. I did a pass on another gum today too it was a Maple tree about 4 ft in dia.


----------

