Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: WhipCityBeeMan on January 18, 2009, 06:05:04 pm
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I recently read an article regarding the increasing age of beekeepers I am a high school teacher and I am often encouraging young people to begin keeping bees. So far I am without a convert. I still believe that it is important to encourage young people to get involved with beekeeping for many reasons including the continuing health and vitality of our honeybee population, the incredible educational experience and the importance of the honeybee on our environment. It would be great to see more experienced beekeepers get involved in their local schools by sharing the joy of beekeeping with young people. Call the science department at your local school and offer your services.
So how old are you? The results may be interesting.
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I didn't see the older than dirt choice... :idunno: :evil: I do plan on visiting schools next year & informal Q & A @ the CSA next summer. My hives will be part of the girls inheritance..hmmm, lets see, so far they are getting 1 book of forever stamps, fishing poles, senile cats, cattle & goat! Lucky girls! Oh, and ME! I want to be made into a diamond so I can be with them forever. Amanda said she will take me to a pawn shop, Chels is selling me on eBay.. :shock: J
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I would not be surprised that its something that appeals to be people over 40. I think when you are young you have so much going on, maybe college, getting married, starting families etc. that people don't want to add any more responsibilites, and beekeeping may be a hobby but its still a responsibility, not like say golf or building model airplanes.
I think once people settle into their lives a little they may take on more.
It "can" also be an expensive hobby.
On another note, my son who is only 6 years old has his own beekeeping suit and his own hive and I just ordered him a nuc for this spring.
Obviously he can't take care of it by himself but any time I work it he will be responsible for being right there and helping to understand the decisions and mistakes that we will make and the outcome good or bad. The other kids are interested but not like him.
He hounds me for information and sits next to me every night and asks me to read him the beekeeping books. I quiz him for info and he is pretty good.
He raises his own chickens too and sells the eggs, he can't wait to offer honey to his customers.
His principal at school just bought $20.00 worth of eggs from him.
Sometimes I forget how young he is, he is such a little man.
I am really looking forward to doing this with him.
I plan on doing some presentations at the children's schools this year as well. I think its more important than ever to teach the children how vital the bees are to us.
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Whip City Bee Man...
Don't give up on the kids I started beekeeping at 9 years old. On or about 04-10-09 I will start 52 years of keeping bees and I will bee 62 years old.
BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)
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Jody, you already are a diamond, you just don't fully realize it, smiling.
Natalie, wow, what a wonderful thing about your Son, he's got it, baby he's got it!!! Your little Beemaster a'comin' along. Wonderful. Have a great and awesome day, attract and keep good health. Cindi
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Well i am only 16 and started keeping bees and i dont even know why i started i guess its always been somthing that i wanted to do and everyone here has surely helped me through my first year keeping bees.
Thanks everyone
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Well i am only 16 and started keeping bees and i dont even know why i started i guess its always been somthing that i wanted to do and everyone here has surely helped me through my first year keeping bees.
Thanks everyone
I'm glad your around Jordan. All these other "old" beekeepers :brian: are nice, but us youthful people are nicer... :buttkick:
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Interesting results thus far. Younger group than I thought it would be. Now Brian Bray says he looks like his profile picture so he might tip the scales a bit if he responds to the poll :lau:
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Well i am only 16 and started keeping bees and i dont even know why i started i guess its always been somthing that i wanted to do and everyone here has surely helped me through my first year keeping bees.
Thanks everyone
I'm glad your around Jordan. All these other "old" beekeepers :brian: are nice, but us youthful people are nicer... :buttkick:
And well carry on the beekeeping way a little longer.
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I believe that most people that keep bees that I have known, including myself, were around beekeepers at a young age. I was introduced to beekeeping by both of my grandfathers and was fascinated with them every since. I too have tried to get a few people involved,
but unless they grew up around it they usually have no desire to do so. Both of my sons love helping me with the bees. My oldest son is 8, I let him help me with a cutout this past year. I think he's ready for his first hive this year. With a little help of coarse. :-D
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I believe that most people that keep bees that I have known, including myself, were around beekeepers at a young age. I was introduced to beekeeping by both of my grandfathers and was fascinated with them every since. I too have tried to get a few people involved,
but unless they grew up around it they usually have no desire to do so. Both of my sons love helping me with the bees. My oldest son is 8, I let him help me with a cutout this past year. I think he's ready for his first hive this year. With a little help of coarse. :-D
Agreed. My grandfather and his brother (my great uncle) got me interested. When my great uncle passed away I took his stuff, cleaned it up and ordered my bees. There has been a lot of self teaching, reading books, Michael Bush's website and a lot of reading beemaster and I look forward to the year when I can buy my 1 yr. old son his first hive too.
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i'm envious of you, jordan!.. i wish i had started beekeeping at your age.
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I've got a sore shoulder from patting myself on the back as i must be the oldest so far. :lol:
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I'm 30-39. I also have two young daughters (2 1/2 and 4) who like the bees. They like to watch the bees come and go from the "bee boxes" and have respect for them when they are out foraging. They really like the honey they make and the berries they pollinate. I hope to get the older one into the beeyard this summer.
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I'm 49 and holding. I agree on recruiting younger ones to beekeeping. I am attempting to spur an interest in our 4-H group here. So far no takers, but this is just my second year as a project leader. Honestly I have had the adults in the group come to me asking for information, hence I acquired more places to set hives. I plan to work with an individual this year with a few hives in hopes of getting him started with his own hives later on. Its kinda exciting when someone wants to learn about something you enjoy.
David
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I'm 72 and have been keeping bees for about the last 25 years, and I have a daughter 40 years old whose also keeps bees. The biggest thing I find is that a lot of the younger folks just have to many other outside interests that keeps them so busy that they haven't time take up a hobby such as bees.
Jack
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i'm envious of you, jordan!.. i wish i had started beekeeping at your age.
Being a beekeeper in the warm tropical Phillipines. I don't think I would envy anyone ever.
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There is a few community farms in this area that try and encourage young people to become more agriculturaly aware. I was thinking of offering to do some free classes for the kids as a kind of community service. My biggest concern is dealing with the liabilty issues...
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While some 80 some year old people are on the internet, I'm sure the percentage is lower than the younger ones. I wonder how skewed the results are from that?
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Welcome to the 70's and Over Club Jacmar !!
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Interesting results thus far. Younger group than I thought it would be. Now Brian Bray says he looks like his profile picture so he might tip the scales a bit if he responds to the poll :lau:
I did respond to the poll, 60. I do look like this: :brian: including the beard and cane. Ask Understudy, Cindi, or poka-bee.
I've been beekeeping for 50 years since I started when I was 10. Most beekeepers I know who could also claim to have been doing it that long are either dead or in their 90's (1).
I think one of the reasons we tend to see such a rift in ages of beekeepers is due to a generation leap. My greatgrandfather kept bees and my grandmother and my father helped him, but neither got involved in doing it alone. Then I come along and bang, another beekeeper in the family.
Right now I'm teaching my oldest daughter (29) but her kids are into it more that she is. So the generation leap is the grandkids being taught by the grandparents or them getting into later in "memory" of a grandparent who was a beekeeper. This puts the age of the majority of beekeepers into their late 30's to early 40's. I would be interesting to change the poll above to reflect when someone began beekeeping along with their current age as a beekeeper.
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I am in my 30's but I am teaching my niece who is 10 she is rabid about the information she can absorb from beekeeping. She loves the science of it. Although, I bet i lose her over the next few years she I'm sure like all girls other things will draw her interest. But I think once her life slows down she will return to the "hobby" but it may not be until she has started a family 20 30 years of age.
I'm not sure who said it earlier but I think alot of it has to do with available time this is a very demanding hobby not like golf or some other hobby you can pick up and put down as you choose. It has some definite time you must spend with your bees. And in that teen through 20 time in our lives we have a lot of demands on our time, which in turn leaves little time for the bees.
just my .02
Keith
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I agree with Brian Bray and Michael Bush. The poll obviously is not scientific and I do think the information is skewed because the poll is on the internet which does attract a younger audience. Perhaps another poll at some point could address Brian's points about when people started beekeeping.
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My husband started beekeeping just 3 years ago (he's now 52). Something he always wanted to do so we decided to just go for it. What I have found is that when you start to talk about the bees at work, a lot of folks are interested. I have shared photos and honey with my co workers. I think the more we can talk to others about the importance of beekeeping and what they can do to help the girls, the better we'll all be. Next school year I hope to bring some bees to the local school to increase awareness. I think having this forum is a great way to learn and get the word out. If we all can encourage others to learn about the honeybees and maybe getting one young person involved, we'll be making progress.
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I have never ever thought about beekeeping until two years ago. I am 41 and since taking up beekeeping i have had a lot of interest from people about beekeeping. I think people are changing there attitude towards healthier life styles and whats really important to them. I think CCD has actually got people talking about beekeeping and doing something else as well as people being more conscious about what they eat.
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I do look like this: :brian: including the beard and cane. Ask Understudy, Cindi, or poka-bee.
Ha, and you know what is even funnier Brian? That little old man, (the smiley), shaking his finger is actually called "brian", that made me laugh when I saw it when I was quoting your quote, the figure didn't show up but this did : brian : (without the spaces).
Yes, Brian actually does look like that, I will attest to that, but......Brian D. Bray is much more handsome, and not quite as old looking, smiling 8-) ;) :) :) :). Have a most wonderful, awesome life, day, attract and keep great health. Cindi