By: Ross Conrad
This article originally appeared in the Autumn 2020 issue of BEEKeeping Your First Three Years
I am not going to sugar coat it, beekeeping can be challenging. All too often colonies die out. They lose their queen, collapse over winter, starve, or worse. One’s true beekeeping metal is tested when all the hives are dead. Do you throw in the towel and quit, or order more bees and try to do better next time? The saying is trite but true, “winners never quit and quitters never win.” So for those of you who may be facing this decision now or in the future, here are some reasons why it is worth your effort to persevere and not give up on the bees.
An Ancient Craft
The human/honey bee relationship is seven to eight thousand years old according to cave painting remains. Meanwhile, organized beekeeping’s deep roots date back to at least the time of the ancient Egyptian civilization, allowing you to be a link in the chain that carries on this honorable activity that has a prehistoric lineage.
A Lifetime Learning Opportunity
There is a tendency for beekeepers early in their beekeeping experience to think they know way more than they really do. As the years progress, the realization comes that none of us know as much as we would like to think we do. Not only is our understanding of honey bee biology, management, pests and pathogens constantly evolving, but the world is changing dramatically and the bees are changing along with it. If you have reached a plateau in your beekeeping knowledge, it is because you have stopped learning, not because there isn’t more to learn.
Excitement
Beekeeping is exciting! Whether it is the anticipation of getting your first hive of bees, catching a wild swarm, or seeing the queen for the first time, the thrill of keeping bees will not only liven up your life, but will provide you with countless stories to tell.
Fun For The Whole Family
Beekeeping is a wholesome activity the entire family can enjoy. Most children (and adults) are fascinated by the inner workings of the bee hive. For the more cautious members of the household,
there are plenty of bee related activities that don’t involve a high risk of getting stung: Harvesting and bottling honey, building, preparing and repairing bee equipment, rendering beeswax, making beeswax candles and salves, the list goes on…
Be A Producer Rather Than A Consumer
As a beekeeper you are adding to the abundance of life by creating an environment where more honey, beeswax, pollen, propolis, royal jelly and pollination can all take place. We are rewarded in numerous ways when the work we do provides for ourselves and others.
Beekeeping Is A Necessary Activity
We all like to eat and bees have become an essential part of our industrialized food system. Keeping bees helps sustain our civilization in a very direct way.
Retain Your Freedom
Unlike dogs, cats and farm animals, bees do not need daily attention. A visit and inspection about once every week to ten days during the active season is all that is required. Inspections during the inactive season (i.e. Winter) are even less frequent.
Bee A Local Hero
Public recognition of the importance of honey bees and beekeeping is at an all-time high. The advent of Colony Collapse Disorder has thrust beekeepers from the comfortable shadows of mainstream society into the bright, hot spotlight as heroes of the environment and pollinator protection.
Build Relationships
Beekeeping is often seen as beneficial to the entire community and this helps to break down barriers between you and your neighbors. When you are a beekeeper you share a passion that connects you to other beekeepers no matter where you go in the world. Even at a meeting of your local beekeeping club you will connect with people of very different socioeconomic, political, religious and ethnic backgrounds all thanks to the honey bees. More often than not, these people will become resources to help you be successful in your beekeeping adventures and expand your circle of friends and acquaintances.
An Activity With Business Potential
More than just a “hobby” beekeeping is often considered an important occupation and part of rural life. Sure there is a level of financial risk, but you can be your own boss, choose your own hours, make all the executive decisions and profit from all the rewards. Best of all, a beekeeping business can evolve from a backyard and grow slowly without the need for a huge upfront financial investment.
Least Expensive Of All Agricultural Pursuits
The biggest expense in agriculture is typically the cost of land. Since bee hives can be kept most anywhere, one does not need to own land to be a beekeeper. This reduces the start up costs of beekeeping to roughly $500-$800 dollars. All you need is permission from the landowner to place bees on their property.
Take Control Of Your Health
Help retake control of your health by keeping bees. Through the production of honey, pollen, propolis, royal jelly and honey bee venom, you have access to products of the hive that have numerous applications for healing and health. Not only that but moving bee equipment around and lifting heavy boxes of honey builds up your muscles. Rather than spend money and time at the gym or under a sun lamp, keeping bees keeps you active while you get fresh air and sunshine.
Learn To Face Your Fears
There’s no getting around it, placing yourself in the center of tens of thousands of stinging insects can be very intimidating. Beekeeping allows us to face our fears and gives us the chance to practice staying calm and relaxed every time we visit the bee yard.
Get Closer To Nature
People are healthiest when they have close and regular contact with the natural world. The honey bee can be our window into this world that is proven to reduce stress, fascinate and teach all at the same time.
Pollinators Are In Decline
Mounting research indicates that it is not just the honey bee that has been experiencing a dramatic increase in difficulties in recent decades. Most wild and solitary pollinators appear to be in serious decline. This is a concern since the majority of plant species on our planet have evolved to require pollination by an animal or insect. Given the amount of stress the earth’s environment is experiencing at this moment in history, you can help take some of the load off by creating pollinator habitat and caring for pollinators such as honey bees.
Reduce Your Environmental Footprint
Honey is the only sweetener we use regularly that does not need a lot of special processing after harvesting and can be consumed directly as it’s found in nature. Since there is no tilling, planting, cultivating, or fertilizing local honey has one of the lowest carbon footprints of any food you can buy.
Work For Something Bigger Than Yourself
The honey bee’s impact on the natural world is profound. Through the act of pollination bees help maintain the abundance of plants, fruits, nuts, berries and vegetables that so many have come to depend on for survival. Through your support and encouragement the work of these amazing pollinators allows you to indirectly help support all of life on the planet.
