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Author Topic: Are you the 1st generation?  (Read 9884 times)

Offline Buzzen

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Are you the 1st generation?
« on: May 05, 2009, 01:47:58 am »
I was reading another post and it was mentioned about being a first generation beekeeper.  As for me, My Mom had a couple hives when i was young, mainly for pollenation of the apple trees, ( I think) we never got any honey from them. I guess she wasn't that involved. None of my siblings are beeks and actually I don't personally know any beeks. I will be the only one in my family. (when i get my bees)  So......how about you?  Do you come from a long line of beekeepers or are you a "first" like me?

Offline SgtMaj

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Re: Are you the 1st generation?
« Reply #1 on: May 05, 2009, 02:05:13 am »
I thought I was until I found out beekeeping just skipped a generation in my family. 

Offline mlewis48

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Re: Are you the 1st generation?
« Reply #2 on: May 05, 2009, 02:33:22 am »
  As far as I know, I am a 3rd generation beekeeper. I remember my Grandfather having a couple of hives and I have an Uncle that got me into beekeeping. I hope to have someone down the line to pass it onto. Hate to see it end with me.
                                           Marc
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Offline gwalker314

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Re: Are you the 1st generation?
« Reply #3 on: May 05, 2009, 03:58:54 am »
1st generation for me.
I don't have any beeks in my family at all. Most of them are wondering why I am so interested in beekeeping.
I guess its the challenge & I like honey.

GW

Offline SlickMick

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Re: Are you the 1st generation?
« Reply #4 on: May 05, 2009, 04:10:18 am »
First generation for me, unless you count my father chasing a swarm when I was a kid and me being stung and bawling my eyes out. At the time we lived on a farm in coastal New South Wales, and I remember there was an apiary in the bush about 1 mile from us. I also remember opening up a hive and stealing a frame of comb with no protection at all although I have some memorie of lighting a fire and trying to waft the smoke over the hive. They must have been patient girls and well aware that I was only a little kid  :roll:.
The things kids get up to and survive to become (law abiding) adults  :-D

Offline SgtMaj

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Re: Are you the 1st generation?
« Reply #5 on: May 05, 2009, 05:03:35 am »
First generation for me, unless you count my father chasing a swarm when I was a kid and me being stung and bawling my eyes out. At the time we lived on a farm in coastal New South Wales, and I remember there was an apiary in the bush about 1 mile from us. I also remember opening up a hive and stealing a frame of comb with no protection at all although I have some memorie of lighting a fire and trying to waft the smoke over the hive. They must have been patient girls and well aware that I was only a little kid  :roll:.
The things kids get up to and survive to become (law abiding) adults  :-D



Nothing to see here folks... just Mick smoking his hives!  :lau:

Offline SlickMick

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Re: Are you the 1st generation?
« Reply #6 on: May 05, 2009, 06:07:33 am »
ROFL

Yo Sarg,  and I seem to remember there were quite a few bushfires then :evil:

Mick

Offline Davepeg

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Re: Are you the 1st generation?
« Reply #7 on: May 05, 2009, 07:40:01 am »
As far as I know, I'm first generation.  Someone in my husband's family kept bees, but he was never aware of it until his dad mentioned it after we started. I'm not sure if my son will ever become a beekeeper (although he has started to grow his own vegetables and is getting into gardening more- so there's hope), but we gave my brother a hive and I know he'll be keeping it going.
We love the girls...

Offline vermmy35

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Re: Are you the 1st generation?
« Reply #8 on: May 05, 2009, 09:04:36 am »
1st for me but my sister married a beekeeper, but she dosn't help out  :evil:
Semper Fi to all my brothers out there
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Offline Natalie

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Re: Are you the 1st generation?
« Reply #9 on: May 05, 2009, 10:44:16 am »
I am the first generation here.
My son did just get his own hive as well so a first and second generation is starting together.
Maybe he will pass it on to his own children someday, that would be nice.

Offline John Schwartz

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Re: Are you the 1st generation?
« Reply #10 on: May 05, 2009, 10:54:59 am »
First :) -- Got intrigued reading "Keeper of the Bees".
―John Schwartz, theBee.Farm

Offline Sean Kelly

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Re: Are you the 1st generation?
« Reply #11 on: May 05, 2009, 12:10:02 pm »
I thought I was the first in my family until I started going through some of my great-grandfather's things.  Found a copy of "First Lessons in Beekeeping" from the 1940's.  Asked my grandpa about it and he said he didn't remember.  My grandma said she remembers him talking about his hives and how someone came in the middle of the night and stole them from the farm.  I guess he was so mad about it that he decided to not keep bees again.

What got me started in keeping bees was watching the beekeepers along interstate 5 in California in the almond orchards while I was stuck in traffic in my Semi due to an accident back when I did long haul.  I was so facinated by the guys in the white suits with smokers!  Then my wife and I found a huge book on country living that covers everything from butchering animals to making beer to building barns to keeping bees.  Well, that got me hooked and when we finally moved back out to the country the first thing I did was put in my first hive!  I had 6 hives at one point and I'm back down to two now.

Sean Kelly
"My son,  eat  thou honey,  because it is good;  and the honeycomb,  which is sweet  to thy taste"          - Proverbs 24:13

Offline slaphead

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Re: Are you the 1st generation?
« Reply #12 on: May 05, 2009, 12:30:24 pm »
As far as I know I'm the first member of the family to keep bees but we've been gardeners for at least four generations.  It was the precipitous drop in the number of honey bees in our garden last spring which originally triggered my interest.

SH
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself - FDR, 1933

Offline Rebel Rose Apiary

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Re: Are you the 1st generation?
« Reply #13 on: May 05, 2009, 12:34:46 pm »
I also thought that I was the first one in my family to keep bees. Then one day about two weeks ago, my mother told me that her father used to have bee smokers and gathered honey when she was a little girl; she liked to play with the smokers. This was back in the late 30s and early 40s, so I never knew anything about it.

I got started by accident, when my cousin was starting to clear land to build a house. He cut down a bee tree and had it cut into lengths for firewood. I was there in the cold early spring weather one morning and seen some dead bees around one of the sections that had to be split up for firewood. He was going to push them into a brush pile and burn them! I felt sorry for the bees, so I brought them home, waited on warmer weather, then put them into some hive bodies....and the rest is history!

I was always interested in bees, but never did anything about it until 'they needed me'. Now I am addicted to the point that my own family thinks I am crazy for 'keeping stinging insects as pets'....might be because I call them my 'girls'?

Brenda


Offline bugleman

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Re: Are you the 1st generation?
« Reply #14 on: May 05, 2009, 02:46:25 pm »
I too am a first generation bee keeper.  I remember neighbors and friends keeping bees when I was a little kid but my first real bee experience was also out cutting firewood.

When I was in highschool, my friend was running a saw with his nose pointed into the cold dry east wind here in Oregon.  After falling a 20" oak tree, he had worked his way cutting about 1/2 down from the top.  That is when I notice a wonderful sweet and familiar smell pouring out of the saw.  Later we noticed the tree was hallow, of course, and an entire round of fire wood was full on honey comb.  We took it home and extracted the honey.  We didn't see a bee that day but that is where my interest began.

Now I have 10 hives and will double this year.  I do small scale pollination to support my habit.

Offline sc-bee

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Re: Are you the 1st generation?
« Reply #15 on: May 05, 2009, 03:04:55 pm »
Just me on my side ---- had an Uncle married into the family who keep bees. Hes deceased now -- always wanted me to look in a hive with him. I was in my twenties then. I regret now that I never did :(!
John 3:16

Offline annette

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Re: Are you the 1st generation?
« Reply #16 on: May 05, 2009, 03:39:49 pm »
First here. At least no one has come forth to say anything.

Offline MacfromNS

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Re: Are you the 1st generation?
« Reply #17 on: May 05, 2009, 03:45:58 pm »
First one that I know of.
The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling.
And even more beautiful is knowing that you are the reason behind it!!!
Mac

Offline greenismycolor

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Re: Are you the 1st generation?
« Reply #18 on: May 05, 2009, 06:36:10 pm »
1st here too. My parents were in no way interested, chickens LOL. My mom and my sister will sit in the car with the windows up to watch when I work them. My daughter helps me sometimes, she is not at all scared. My son helped once and when we finished he said..."NEVER AGAIN" My husband does a lot of the lifting and stuff, and doesn't mind but he has and "ALLERGY" of sorts.

For me. They intrigue me, I love to take out a full frame and move it and turn it and see how gentle they are knowing how fierce they can be. Do you think they are like other animals, they can feel our fear?

And what team work too! I wish more people were of the same nature.
I don't think my kids will carry on but there is always hope.
Have a great day all...Patti
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Offline asprince

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Re: Are you the 1st generation?
« Reply #19 on: May 05, 2009, 07:42:14 pm »
First in my family. Probably the last. My family shows an arm length interest. But I will say that they love the honey.

Steve
Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resembalance to the first. - Ronald Reagan

 

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