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What do you get out of beekeeping?

9K views 56 replies 39 participants last post by  chillardbee 
#1 ·
Lately, I've been very depressed. The main source of my depression has been work related. I'm getting some "help", and it certainly making things a little easier.

However, the best therepy I have is an afternoon with my hives. Since you have to move slowly and deliberately, and you have to focus on what you are doing, it's almost like meditation for me. Tonight (Friday), I'll go out to my hives (I have two) and just sit near the entrance. I watch the bees come and go, and for an hour or two, my depression will abate.

I've come to love my bees for helping me cope with a difficult situation. I'm also kind of worried about what I'll do this winter without them, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

I'm wondering what others get out of beekeeping. For some it may be the financial rewards, for others it may be something less tangible. Any reason is a good reason, but I'd just like to hear from others.

Thanks.

Matt
 
#3 ·
Hi Matt,

For me it's also therapeutic. I've found that gardening and beekeeping is great for helping me unwind. I love to sit and watch them, I could watch for hours.

I have found some other activities that help with depression as well. Yoga, sewing, cleaning. Yes, cleaning. go figure. Anything that requires me to concentrate on something fully.

I'm a musician by trade. Practicing helps me alot. I can focus on one thing for an extended period of time and it helps a great deal.
 
#4 ·
> it's almost like meditation for me.

Good description! You do have to shift mental gears to work bees.

>I'm also kind of worried about what I'll do this winter without them, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Setup an obsevation hive now and you can spend many winter hours watching the "bee channel".
 
#6 ·
Matt,

For me, a prospective beekeeper with two empty hives (arrived in the States too late to buy packages), I have enjoyed studying bees. These little creatures are truly fascinating. The library has a fair collection of information and I purchased others. I had no idea that there were so many threats to bees, the effect pesticides have on them, or even how the queen mates. During the winter, if you have not already done that, you could plan to have a top bar hive, even if you never actually do it. Just the planning, and possibly the building, will force you to concentrate on the topic and task.

Best of luck in your recovery.

Ron
 
#7 ·
Just standing and watching the bees come and go is extremely relaxing to me. Many times after I get home from work (1hr drive each way part of it in traffic) I will walk straight to the hives even before going inside. My wife doesn't understand but it just gives me 15-20min or so to unwind and just take a break from the fast pace of life. Then I walk inside and my 1 1/2 and 3 1/2 year old come running and the fast pace is back.... (But I love that part too!)

Dan
 
#8 ·
I find that after about 1/2 hr, in the beeyards and the rest of the world melts away for a while. Whatever headeache I had when I came to the yard disappears as Islip on my pullover, light my smoker and start to work. i know it has to do with being out in nature, the harmonic hum, the heady scents in the hives and watching a society which has been successful and consistent for millions of years going through their motions. The Count is right, winter is a great time to dream, read, plan, build and ride on the anticipation of the coming season. Make a trip to the yard in the winter, especially on a warm winter day when a cleansing flight is likely. It is a thill to see bees flying in December and January and know they too are waiting in anticipation of the upcoming season.
 
#9 ·
After living in southern France for several years where the pace is decidedly slower, coming back to the US was stressful. My bees remind me that we create our stress and can also choose not to allow so much of it into our lives. Simplify and sit with your bees.
 
#10 ·
Everything written above applies to most beekeepers I think. I have just always liked animals, agriculture and living things in general. I would probably even have bees if they made no honey. I just like the way they smell, sound, and carry out their tiny lives. I've spent many a pleasant summer afternoon laying in the beeyard watching them fly hither and yon. By my birthday (Jan) I'm already chomping at the bit to work the bees and hear their hum. I geuss I like mead so much because it reminds of the hives. Not to be morbid, but when I go, I hope that someone has the good sense to "tell" my bees.
 
#11 ·
Earlier this spring I was in the process of catching a swarm of bees in my yard that was too high. I got in the bed of my truck to give me some "height" in order to reach them. Yep you guessed it, I fell out of the truck bed and broke my ankle.

Since then my husband has had to "tend" to my 3 hives. I haven't been able to get up the incline in my back yard to reach them.

I have found that I have become a bit jealous that he is the one having all the fun while I can only sit and watch.

I look forward to the harvest this year as I believe by then (about 4 weeks) I will be able to fully participate in the care and keeping of MY girls!

Vickie
 
#12 ·
My Saturday trip to my apiary is the high point of my week. I've undoubtedly messed with them more than was good for them, but I just love getting in there. For me, honey is a low priority, and a huge bonus. Beeswax is slightly higher priority and another bonus. But my main priority is spending time with them.

BTW, my apiary is in an area overrun with feral hogs, which can be quite dangerous. There was one boar that killed several cattle and a horse near us last year. So I always carry a pistole when working my bees. :eek:
It's an odd situation to be packing heat while getting in tune with the peaceful, relaxed nature of working bees.
 
#13 ·
Most of my many years of beekeeping I didn't harvest any honey at all, I simply kept the bees so I could watch them bring in their multi-colored loads of pollen and so I could open up their hives, observe the brood and honeycombs. In the past few years, while here in Tucson, I've taken to harvesting some honey, it is sticky fun, but lots more work than just watching the bees. Fortunately one of my two apiaries is in my backyard, I go out to watch them several times per day.

Recently my wife has become paralyzed in her legs and is a paraplegic from Multiple Sclerosis (MS). We have begun to use BVT (Bee Venom Therapy), we have the bees sting her in strategic places on her body to help remedy her MS, so I built a special holding cage and put fresh bees in it every other day to use in her BVT.

I never truly appreciated the "desert" climate here in Tucson --- I like the climate in Oak Harbor (Whidbey Island) Washington more. But, I have recently learned to appreciate the fact that the bees are active year-round here in Tucson.
 
#14 ·
One of the biggest side benefits from this hobby was that it kept me occupied during the last 2 long winters building boxes (~30) and frames (~300) from scratch, that diverted my attention from my very pregnant, crabby, depressed, and sick wife. 'Course now I don't have much time for the bee because I spend my time watching the 2 little ones....

-rick
 
#15 ·
Matt:

For me, it is being part of nature and seeing what nature can make without the "help" of humans. Being a chef, it is awesome to see where things come from.

For the winter and now since my bees are down south, I really enjoy reading books about bees. They can be fiction or non fiction. If you need some suggestions, feel free to ask.
 
#16 ·
Beekeeping is definitely theraputic- you gotta relax, you can't be all stressed out, the bees seem to pick up on your mind set and if you're not at peace, the bees don't seem to be either.

I used to be a computer programmer/system administrator, etc. It was VERY stressful. My life sorta went down the tubes. I'm now working part time for a guy building post and beam houses, I'm learning to run a chisel. When I'm not doing that, I'm working my bees, thinking about my bees, or reading about bees. Keeps me out of trouble.

George-
 
#17 ·
Matt,
I find it very, very therapeutic just like planning, planting, and weeding a garden. Both the bees and the garden make me realize how Mother Nature can and will, generally provide us with all we need.

The bees give me another thing to do with my 5-year-old daughter. It is wonderful to see her “petting” a bee and at the same time learning about science, agriculture, and entomology.

I get pollination from the bees. I have seen a dramatic increase in melons, pumpkins and cukes this year.

I get the most wonderful smell from my hives. Like gods candy factory in my back yard.

If you will miss them that much in the winter you should consider an observation hive my friend.

have a great weekend.
Matt
 
#18 ·
I'm glad a couple people have mentioned the smell. My wife thinks I'm crazy when I go out to the hives at about 11 O'Clock at night just to enjoy the smell of the air.

I tell her if everyone had bees, no one would want drugs. All you smokers have no idea what you're missing.
 
#19 ·
After reading all the other responses it’s obvious that many beekeepers think alike, makes me wonder why they do so many things different when it comes to managing them?
To me it helps me in my relationship with God, the more I learn about these wonderful creatures the more I see Gods hand in the world. It’s more than the gentle buzz or the wonderful smells, it’s being part of the process of nature. Honeybees tho ignored by most people are an intrigue cog in the eco system, and that also gives me a sense of greater purpose, which keeps me focused on what’s important and what’s not. I use the winter to read and improve my knowledge, and make or repair equipment for the next season.
 
#20 ·
Cheer up Matt!
I get a ton of work related stress also, but I try and not take it home with me when I leave. You can try and winter some bees in an observation hive indoors, then your can have an escape from your stress watching bees all winter long. Hope things will soon improve for you at the workplace. Take care now.
Best Wishes,
 
#21 ·
I forgot some stuff.
A huge rush when I hived my first package.

I will always remember the sense of wonderment I felt when I saw the first big orientation flight going on. 200 bees flying around the front of the hive I walked up on it happening and was freaked out. I was worried it was robbing for a few hours until I figured out what was going on.

I was just watching a big orientation flight what a cool sound.
 
#22 ·
I guess for me it is like slipping into another world, where the stress and fast pace of trying to survie seem to melt away. Everything just seems to slooow down, and all you see is the frame of bees and brood in front of you, and the half dozen girls headbanging you. The elation you feel when you spot the queen as she slips through the crowd of workers. Bees are one of the few things in life that don't demand anything of you, unless it's leave us alone! Winter is the best time to catch up on reading, and equipment repairs in anticipation of the coming spring, and the bees return to the fields.

peggjam
 
#24 ·
Splits and honey are the goals. I got honey. I split. Next year it might be even better. What can I learn to accomplish that? success = the progressive realization of a dream. I gave away two beehives this year. Never thought I'd say that.

there's still hope. maybe I'll develop the mite eating bee. finding the queen is cool too.

Hawk
 
#25 ·
I think alot of the enjoyment in beekeeping is how it brings our attention to nature. You observe and participate in the goings on of this incredibly intricate colony of bees. You watch generations unfold in front of you. You learn about their biology. You learn about the many plants your bees visit. I find myself noticing plants flowering that I never noticed before. You watch the weather with anticipation. You harvest and consume some of the bees food. The sweetest food there is. You go outside to check on your bees.

You are communing with nature.

I know it may sound hokey, but really you are.
Matt, when you get tired of working on your bee equipment this winter, go outside and observe nature. Its much quieter, but the bees and all the other life is still out there.

...OHMMMMMmmmmm.........
 
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