Why Beekeeping?

I have been keeping honey bees now for just over three years, and out of all of my hobbies, it is the one hobby that really does give you great satisfaction and enjoyment. However, I often get asked why did I start keeping bees?

For me it was because we have a large garden area that we grow vegetables in, well I say we grow vegetables we are learning how to grow stuff as that is an even slower learning curve than beekeeping is. It is in this garden that someone in the pub one evening suggested I keep bees and that local honey is popular in any community

The Liquid Gold

Honey is the most apparent reason why people keep bees, and this liquid gold is no comparison to shop-bought supermarket honey however for me I don’t like honey, so the honey situation is not the thing that attracted me to bees.

I am not going to lie or pretend that I am not a serial entrepreneur. I see an opportunity in most situations and selling honey and candles, and other beeswax products did appeal to me greatly. The fact that this hobby could almost potentially self-fund itself in years to come is a massive attraction to me. There will come to a point when my garden will be full of colonies, and I will need to get rid of some, and I will eventually start selling bees as well, so there is potential to make extra beer money.

Independence

What makes beekeeping different from keeping other pets is that bees are independent animals. They are not caged in or restricted to my hives, and if they wanted to, they could leave any time they like. If I don’t do something right, they will look after themselves, and they will put my mistakes right in the end. I am just there to hopefully make their lives more comfortable and enhance their honey production.

A Real Mix of Beekeepers

Beekeeping tends to give itself to the retired type, and most of the beekeepers I know are a few generations older than me, and that is because you do need to dedicate a fair amount of time to keeping bees and looking after them. I have met some great people through keeping bees, and I think they will be friends for life.

Great Conversation Starter

Lots of people are intrigued by bees and beekeepers, and I am always asked about my bees and how they are doing. I try not to bore people with the full ins and outs, but I have realised that a lot of people are really interested in bees and their lifecycle.

These are just a few reasons why being a beekeeper is a good thing.