Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: beemaster on May 21, 2009, 06:21:51 pm
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I was doing my emails today and I have a small stock pile of TEMPLATE ANSWERS to commonly asked questions - I then of course personalize them to the writer, but to answer these questions that hit my mailbox almost every day would be a nightmare to answer from scratch each time.
So I'm wondering, what are the MOST COMMON questions you get asked when people learn you are a beekeeper, or if you give lectures, etc., what questions are always at the top of your students lists?
My favorite (and this is the only on I'll answer now) is "How often do you get "BIT"? and of course the answer is never, which throws many many people off until they realized the question was a phrased wrong.
So, WHAT'S YOUR "FAV 5" ?
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So I'm wondering, what are the MOST COMMON questions you get asked when people learn you are a beekeeper, or if you give lectures, etc., what questions are always at the top of your students lists?
* how much honey do you get?
* i heard all the bees are dying ... is this true?
* how often do you get stung?
* is beekeeping easy?
* why do you keep bees?
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You're a beekeeper? (yes) So you actually keep bees? (yes) Why?
Do they sting?
And you get honey?
What do you keep them in? (a hive) and they stay there? (yes) where are the hives?
What do bees do in the winter?
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In no particular order. There are a bunch more that I can't think of right now, but these come up all the time.
How are your bees?
Have you ever gotten stung?
How long have you kept bees?
What do you do with your honey?
What do they do in the winter?
How many hives do you have?
That's six, but who's counting. :-D
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So you really keep bees?
Do you get stung?
Why would you want bees anyway?
How much honey do you get?
I heard all the bees are dying, is that true?
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are the bees really dying
do you pay for swarms
why do they swarm
what do you do with your bees (i don't know...take them for a walk on tiny leashes?)
do you sell your honey
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How are your bee's?
Do you ever get stung?
Where do you have them?
Do you get honey?
Do you sell the honey?
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Just starting bee keeping, I have heard enough questions over and over to come up with a list of the top 5, however, I have heard multiple times the question:
Are you crazy?
Which sounds goofy at first, but really it's a legit question that should be answered to those asking. The way I have been answering that question so far is to first explain that it's not as dangerous as one would think. I then tell them a little about the honey bee to allow them to understand that a honey bee is not just a simple insect, which makes them picture bees in a different category. I finish up with some of the benefits of keeping honey bees. After that, they usually have much more respect and compassion for the bee and the beek!
Jeremy
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what's wrong with you?
don't you know they'll attack you?
can I have some honey?
how many times have you been bit/stung?
do you know they're endangered now? (serious - able to leap tons of logic in a single assumption.)
I'm just new at this, the top 5 may eventually change.
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I too hear a bunch of different questions but the one I get the most is,
"You keep bees, are you some kind of nut"?
Then there is,
Does it hurt when they sting?
Do you get stung a lot?
Why do you keep them?
What do you do with the honey?
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I'll stop at 3...
Do you sell honey?...YES
How much is it? "quote price"
Can I buy some.
DUH, did they really ask that?
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I get asked:
Do you get stung?
Do you make honey? I get asked this lots if I make the honey. Many people are unaware that the bees do this.
Do you sell your honey because I would like to buy some local honey
What made you get interested in this hobby?
Why are the bees disappearing?
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I'll stop at 3...
Do you sell honey?...YES
How much is it? "quote price"
Can I buy some.
DUH, did they really ask that?
I'm sorry, no, my honey is a very special blend of rare nectars and it is all reserved for celebrities like Angelina Jolie and Cameron Diaz for skin treatment.
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The number one question I get asked is, "how many times have you been stung?"
My response is usually something like, today?
Or, are you serious?
Number two would be "why do you keep them?"
3rd would be, "do you sell honey?"
4th, "Is it true that bees are endangered?"
5th "seriously, how many times have you been stung?"
...JP
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1- can i borrow $20 bucks till payday?
2- can i get one of your beers?
3- can i bumb a pack of smokes ?
4- are you busy right now?
oh, you're talk'in about bees. sorry, my bad.
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My number one question is "Why do you keep insects that sting?"
To which I reply "I am tired of my husband being the only honey I have in the house."
Joan
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After I tell someone about my bees.
1. You have bees?
2. Why?
3. Do they sting?
4. You ever been stung?
5. I don't see a lot of bees like I used to why is that?
Keith
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I get this one and some of the common others.
Aren't bees mean? -- the killer bee syndrome.
Do you sell honey? -- yes -- Can I buy some? yes.
How long have you had bees?
How many bees are in a hive? -- I usually say 20 to 50 thousand
Why do you paint your hives different colors?
David
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1. How much honey do you get?
2. Where did you get them?
3. Where do you keep them?
4. How often do you get stung?
5. Can I have some honey?
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Do you get stung?
Why are the bees dying?
How do you make honey? (I don't the bees do!)
Where do they go in the winter?
Why do you keep bees?
I'm glad to see so many people are aware that bees are dying and that we need to do something now to help them. The more we can educate others, the better. No one (other than my two brothers who both have fear of bees) think keeping bees is "weird". Most folks are interested when they find out we keep bees right in our yard.
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Hmmmmmmmm......seems a lot of people ask the same questions!
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We seem to all get about the same questions in a slightly diferrent form.
How about this one...
Aren't you afraid that they are killer bees ? No
How do you know they aren't.?? Well, I'm still alive :-D
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I might be echoing everyone else but here's what I get asked all the time:
I hear bees are dying off. Are your bees dying?
Does that thing (smoker) hurt the bees?
How many bees are in a hive?
Don't you ever get stung?
Have you seen the "Bee Movie"?
Sean Kelly
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I get the same ones most have posted here. After the "how much honey" question, "Why are the bees dying?" almost always comes second. I find it encouraging that most of the people I talk to are aware of the importance of honey bees and concerned about their welfare.
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1. what got you into bees?
2. how many bees are in each hive?
3. do they sting you much?
4. can I buy some honey from you?
5. how much honey will they make?
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1. Are those bees Africanized?
2. Do they sting?
3. Do you get honey from them?
4. How many bees are in a hive?
5. Are they dying?
Sincerely,
Brendhan
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How often do you get stung?
Once in awhile, my personal record is 379 times from one hive.
How do you farm bees?
In a hive.
How do you tell if they're your bees?
I brand them with a branding iron I made from a straight pin.
I'm allergic to bees!
You're probably sensitive, an allergy would put you into anaphelactic shock.
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How much honey can you get from yellow jackets ( no honey but a ton of trouble )
Aren't Bees particularly dangerous when they swarm- no infact the opposite quite peaceful at least for the first few hours/ days--after that all bets are off
How big is the queen about twice or more the size of a worker
Where do you keep your hive--behind the house behind a fence
do you ever get stung--actually very few times when you consider how many times you come in contact with the most vital parts of the hive--brood and queen usually 3 - 4 times a year and I consider that a failure on my part to have done some I otherwise should have.
yeah I know verbose aren't I.
Barry
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Very much the same as everyone elses ;
Except the other day I got this one;
I have a small orchard, how much will you pay to place some of your bee there ?
No comment !
Bee-Bop
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I give a fair number of intro. talks at open days for a sustainable agriculture organization. Here are the 5 most prevalent questions I receive:
How many bees are there in a hive?
Don't they sting you?
Do they know why the bees are dying?
How long have you been keeping bees?
Why did you decide to start keeping them?
I think the questions are probably biased by the venue.
SH
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I get most of the same questions too...
When people ask how do I know if that's "one of my bees"....I tell them that all my bees are ear tagged, like cattle & if they get stung they should check the bees ear tag. If it has our farm name on it, then I will take responsibility for the sting. :bee: You should see the look on people's face's when you mention ear tags...The usual response is wow...bees have ears???
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"Have you ever been bitten?"
"Have you ever been stung?"
to which I steal Bullseye Bill's reply "You mean today?"
"Is the queen born with that spot on her?"
"Are all the bees really dying?"
"Are your bees dying?"
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"I heard there is something happening to all the bees -what's it called again? Are your bees dying?"
"Don't they sting?"
"How do you get the honey?"
"Can I have some?"
"This honey is really good, how did you make it?" or "What do you put in your honey, it's better than so-and-so's?"
Worst question ever was "How much honey do you get from one cow and how many cows do you have?" :shock: :shock: :shock: The most common comment I hear from people (probably 8/10) is that they are allergic. Yeah right.
My favorite (and this is the only on I'll answer now) is "How often do you get "BIT"? and of course the answer is never, which throws many many people off until they realized the question was a phrased wrong.
I've got a few colonies that bite, the same ones also pull hair.