Author Topic: few beekeepers under 50 (Read 33175 times)

asprince · « **Reply #40 on:** February 02, 2008, 07:58:48 pm »

In the summer of 2006 (I was 53) I purchased a rental house that had some "tenants" in the wall. Having been always interested in bees, I saw this as an opportunity to get into beekeeping. I jumped on the internet and found a local beekeeper that agreed to help me do a cutout. We did and now I have bees.
That person helped me get started but has now moved out of the area. Since then, I have found another mentor. He is a wonderful man and wants me to be a successful beekeeper. He helps me so much not only with sharing his experience and knowledge, but with equipment. He is a commercial pollinator and he sometimes has a different perspective on things as compared to a hobby beekeeper. I have three hives now and will get four nucs from him this spring. He also says that we will be doing some swarm collection this spring. I am truly blessed to have such a mentor.

Steve

jsmob · « **Reply #41 on:** February 02, 2008, 08:26:05 pm »

Hi!
I am a newbee and I hope it is ok to jump in.
When I was 13, I moved into a house that had a hive in the wall of my bedroom. I would go to sleep at night listening to the bees singing.( They lived in that wall until the mites came, about 30yrs.) I fell in love with them. It wasn't til 1983 at the age of 25 that I bought my first 3 hives, used, from a widow who had lost her husband a few months before. An old beek looked at my hives and said I had foulbrood. She said I should burn them. But, I wanted to save them. So I worked at it and was able to keep them for the next 12 yrs. I got married and moved to an apartment and got rid of the bee's. After 10yrs, we moved into a place where I could keep bees and after reading an article in the paper about CCD and how much the Beek were getting for almond pollination last winter, I thought it would be a good time to get back into it and become a sideliner. So, I bought my first package last April.
Thanks! J's mob

swingbyte · « **Reply #42 on:** February 02, 2008, 10:58:33 pm »

I started 2years ago now 41.. At the beekeeping club I'm one of the younger ones, but a few around my age have their own businesses with 1000's of hives so it probably makes up for it :-D

Tim

Brian D. Bray · « **Reply #43 on:** February 03, 2008, 12:00:22 am »

Quote from: swingbyte on February 02, 2008, 10:58:33 pm

I started 2years ago now 41.. At the beekeeping club I'm one of the younger ones, but a few around my age have their own businesses with 1000's of hives so it probably makes up for it :-D

Tim

That's okay, one of the members of our local pigeon racing club is in his 30's, he and his dad run the largest commercial bee operation in Western Washington with over 3000 hives. He didn't make our pigeon club meeting because he was moving bee to California. BTW 5 out of 12 members of the racing pigeon club are also beekeepers--2 are commercial.

Kimbrell · « **Reply #44 on:** February 03, 2008, 12:18:43 am »

Everyone's answers fascinated me! It seems that we all may come to beekeeping at different times and in different ways; but we all come to it with the same desire to experience nature firsthand. Beekeeping can be managed in a way that raising other "livestock" cannot. One doesn't need much room, or really much time (as a hobbyist) to be successful. I also think that all of us could spend the rest of our lives and never learn all there is to know about it. It may have taken me until my fifth decade to discover beekeeping, but I'm so glad I did! :)

Beesilly · « **Reply #45 on:** February 03, 2008, 02:32:50 am »

Wait for me! LOL! Hope im not late...

Riverrose...you are not the youngest here... lets just say Im still in middle school! Not all the teenagers spend their time on videogames and computers...well im always on my computer...researching on bees and chatting to friends!
I don't know how exactly I got interested into bees, but I'm sure seeing so many obsevation hives at fairs and farms was part of it. Me and my dad would stand there talking about them and trying to figure out what they were doing...ect... I love nature and go out as much as possible, and saving honeybees from my pool was awsome, it made me relize that honeybees are special and arent evil creatures trying to kill u. :shock:lol.
So its funny for me when all my friends scream and jump put of the pool when a bee lands in the pool, and i scoop it out with my bare hands and carry it around, scaring everyone. :-D

Then I found out that one of my teachers was keeping 4 langstroths. That got me started. I was researching all about honeybees with every minute i had.
I LOVE to keep unique pets. i have chickens and ferrets. When i first told pple about them i got funny looks, and questions like 'dont ferrets bite?' and 'arent chickens are smelly'. i loved those looks and showing off everything i knew about them was fun. lol.
Two years ago was the chickens, last year was my 2 ferrets, this year is...BEES! and im so excited about getting them!
I hope you wont all lose hope for us 'youngsters', there are a handful of us out there that will keep the beekeeping hobby going!
lol.
anyways...
have a nice day!
beesilly

Angi_H · « **Reply #46 on:** February 03, 2008, 03:49:08 am »

Ok guys I am getting my first package in April and I have enough equipment for 4 hives with honey supers. I will be 35 in Aug. I have been reading here I think since Sept. I got tired of hand pollinating al of my heirloom veggies. And a friend of my hubbies is a BeeK

Angi

Sean Kelly · « **Reply #47 on:** February 03, 2008, 08:15:04 am »

Got my first hive at 28 and I'm 29 now with two hives and three more coming!!! :-)

Sean Kelly

johnnybigfish · « **Reply #48 on:** February 03, 2008, 11:02:59 am »

Hey Beesilly!!
Will you come be MY son???

Anyways, my hats off to you! I started bees last spring and wish i had when I was your age. At that time I was into tropical fish and still am today but not at that scale.
I have a ferret too! Actually its my second one in my lifetime. Unfortunately she has a adrenal probelm and she getting old..It costs too much to fix and theres no guarantee that she''ll live much longer anyway.Ok,..gotta go, so we'll see you in here later!
your friend,
john

Beesilly · « **Reply #49 on:** February 03, 2008, 12:13:33 pm »

LOL! im actually a SHE! :-D
Hope your ferret will feel better :'(
I'll see you around the forums!
Beesilly

Michael Bush · « **Reply #50 on:** February 03, 2008, 02:00:39 pm »

Too many expressive touches in Beesilly's posts for her to be a boy...

JP · « **Reply #51 on:** February 03, 2008, 02:18:12 pm »

Quote from: Michael Bush on February 03, 2008, 02:00:39 pm

Too many expressive touches in Beesilly's posts for her to be a boy...

Michael, you made me have to go back and read beesilly's post. You have a point there, with the little extra touches. ;)

......JP

Jerrymac · « **Reply #52 on:** February 03, 2008, 02:25:57 pm »

Quote from: Michael Bush on February 03, 2008, 02:00:39 pm

Too many expressive touches in Beesilly's posts for her to be a boy...

Oh don't be silly. There are some guys that write like that also. You know... those guys.

johnnybigfish · « **Reply #53 on:** February 03, 2008, 02:46:11 pm »

No wonder your head is screwed on better than my boys is. hes all video.
So, IF you were a boy would you be my son?..We could share bee info yelling back and forth from different rooms with my wife and son yelling at us to shut up!!...LOL!
Ok,...I'm sure your folks are proud of you doing things the way you do and you probably would be happier being at your place anyways!
Ok,,, I gotta go look at more stuff here...see you later!
your friend,
john

JP · « **Reply #54 on:** February 03, 2008, 02:53:10 pm »

Quote from: Jerrymac on February 03, 2008, 02:25:57 pm

Quote from: Michael Bush on February 03, 2008, 02:00:39 pm
Too many expressive touches in Beesilly's posts for her to be a boy...

Oh don't be silly. There are some guys that write like that also. You know... those guys.

Jerry I was thinkin' it but you had the nerve to post it. Know what you mean. ...Those guys. :-D :-D :-D

.....JP

Robo · « **Reply #55 on:** February 03, 2008, 03:15:47 pm »

I got involved at about the age of 6 or 7 helping my Dad who had ~100 hives or so. Ran my own little thing during high school with my girlfriend at the time with about 20 hives. Then took a little hiatus for college and the racing. Settled down about 14 years ago and got married and started with a few hives again. I'm now 39 (no, really! :) )

Jack · « **Reply #56 on:** February 03, 2008, 04:22:13 pm »

I have been posting under the name shakerbeeman however had a bit of trouble signing in. Now under the name Jack I shall reply.

I am 57 years old and about to enter into my second year of beekeeping. The first year was very rewarding. I started with 2 packages and made all my own woodenware. As of today with the temps about 42 deg. I have some bees flying from both hives so I think we will make it through.

I spent a couple weeks building about 23 more boxes this winter to include the frames. I will try to see how I make out having them draw out some foundationless with an angular topbar and possibly sides as well. Two more packages are on order.

I had the experience of capturing a late season swarm cast from one of the new packages and at first the new swarm thrived however a succession of robbing events weakened it and even though I moved it and tried to build it up I lost it this past January. Too small I believe. Perhaps I should have combined it but that is part of the learning experience.

I feel lucky to have the past years learning experiences behind me and really look forward to my second season. With some luck I hope to go into next winter with about 5-6 strong hives. We shall see.

ImLovinAllBees · « **Reply #57 on:** February 03, 2008, 04:43:53 pm »

Im 27 and started last year. My uncle had been a bee keeper for 10 years and I thought that it was incredibly interesting. I think that a lot of 'older' folks get into it because it takes patience and financial stability.

Billy The Beekeeper · « **Reply #58 on:** February 03, 2008, 05:12:24 pm »

i was 13 when i started and im now 19 and im goin to continue to beekeep till i die... I think that its more of the older folk cause the got more free time and it was more of part of there time not like my age now we are into everything other then old fashion stuff well i g2g back to my Air Force work

thanks
Billy

Sean Kelly · « **Reply #59 on:** February 03, 2008, 06:03:49 pm »

Quote from: ImLovinAllBees on February 03, 2008, 04:43:53 pm

I think that a lot of 'older' folks get into it because it takes patience and financial stability.

Financial stability, no doubt!!! If I realized how expensive this adventure was going to be back before I started, I don't think I would have gotten into it! But it's totally sucked me in and consumed me.... forever. Keeping these painful bugs in a box has gota be worse than a crack, I'm totally addicted and don't care what it costs now... I just gota hAVE moORE mAN! CommON DuDUUE, JUSt OnE MOre BEe HiVE

Sean Kelly