Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
MEMBER BULLETIN BOARD => GREETINGS/TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF => Topic started by: RookieBeek on December 08, 2004, 08:56:41 pm
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Greetings!
I am so happy to have found this forum and its website. I'm learning so much from you all.
I (my husband and 2 kids too) hope to be moving (back) to Oklahoma in the next 6 months. With luck we'll have at least 10 acres to play on.
One (of the many) things I want to do once there, is beekeeping. I have many reasons: a great learning experience for the kids, I love honey, I use wax and propolis in creams and tinctures, and I've just always loved to watch bees.
With 2 kids (7yo son; 11mo daughter) I am wondering if it will be possible for me to take on this hobby. I will be a HSing SAHM if all goes as planned, so that should help. BUT kids to take up a lot of time. ; ) BUT if it becomes a part of our life (like the chickens, silkworms, garden, etc) perhaps it is possible...?
If nothing else, I will have fun beeing a keeper vicariously... but I look forward to becoming a real one.
Thanks again!
Hope
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Take heart! I have an 8 yo son and we do it as part of his homeshooling, and a 2 yo daughter. It's possible with these ages!
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Hi Hope:
I think beekeeping fits into the lifestyle you described very well. The amount of effort to raise bees is very flexible most of the time and it is a great was to help the kids learn patiences and science. As they grow, their respect and interests will grow eith it and you will always have something near by to sit and relax while sipping a favorite beverage.
The forum is a great place to get all the basics of the hobby and then to go the next step forward and attack the trickier issues of pest control, medical treatments, etc..
But families in general love keeping bees as a family project. Each member, no matter how young can be given a job which they can handle and feel part of the who experience.
Welcome to the forum and feel free to ask as many questions as you can think of, there are hundreds of active members here which are always eady to offer opinions and ideas to make your experiences better.
Good luck as you slowly transition to the hobby, but the earlier you accustom the family to the goods and bads of keeping bees, the more they will be helpful members of your beeyard.
Just remember, never go in OVER YOUR HEAD, feel comfortable about your handling of the bees and always have the kids at a safe distance until they are old enough and comfortable helping in the bee field.
But the projects that even the youngest one can help with is mixing batter for cakes and cookies, or adding sugar for sugar-water to feed the bees - so there is always somethig that everyone can do.
Best wishes, keep us informed as you make your location move and remember, asking questions here can often save you a great deal of money when buying equipment, of them people buy anything and everything related to honeybees and all to often - little of the tools are used.
The membership here is extrememly deversed with many opinions, so you will have nearly limitless ideas to form your own logical opinions from.
Thanks for Joining up and happy Beekeeping. Glad you enjoy the site and the forum, it has been a blast here too :)
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Beekeeping can take very little time to care for them. There are times in the year when nearly no work is needed (other than MAYBE feeding), during the winter. And other times of the year can be kinda busy - during honey collection time.
For the most part, you can just check on the hive with a quick inspection - maybe once a week. These inspections take longer to prepare for (suiting up and getting tools together) than the actual inspection.
Yes, kids can be involved in the process too. They even have little kid sized bee suits so the older one could be right with you during the inspection.
Beth
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Here is a great read on beekeeping.
The Tai Chi of beekeeping
http://www.beemaster.com/honeybee/taichi.html
I have relied on this in my short career as a beekeeper.
I feel that it gives me a outlook that makes every interaction with my girls to be a adventure, a experience to be enjoyed and not a chore at all. I think it would be very valuable learning tool for you and your family and that it about more than just beekeeping.