As a beekeeper I often have people tell me that they are interested in keeping bees but find it intimidating and somewhat scary. So if you are interested in beekeeping but you are nervous, here’s what I suggest:
Related: Save the Bees – 10 Ways You Can Help
This is so that you can ask them a million and one questions. Besides bees the thing beekeepers like best is talking about bees. We’re a quirky lot. Look online to find your local beekeeping association or club and attend a meeting.
But don’t read the parts about all the things that can go wrong. There are lots of wonderful books that will inform you with just about all the information you need to know. But some of them are full of so many pictures of the diseases and pests that it can be kind of frightening. There’s plenty of time to learn about all that later. In the beginning just focus on how to maintain a happy healthy hive of bees.
I desperately wanted to keep bees but wasn’t sure how I would actually react when thousands of them were buzzing all around me. What if I was overwhelmed and had a panic attack or something? I’d never even been around bees when I decided I wanted to become a beekeeper! My local beekeeping association had a day when potential beekeepers could come out and visit the club’s apiary. They opened about 15 hives at once to give everyone a chance to see inside. I was a little nervous and it didn’t help when a bee got inside my veil!
The only way to get comfortable with the bees is just to jump in after you’ve read, studied, and prepared. The truth is, the more you deal with them the better you understand them and the more comfortable you’ll be.
You can do this. If beekeeping is something you feel drawn to then go ahead and study up, prepare, get to know some other beekeepers, and then act.
Don’t let being fearful keep you from enjoying this interesting hobby.
Featured image from @macrobees
Michelle is a beekeeper and master gardener. She writes about beekeeping and gardening and loves to take pictures in the hives to share her love of bees with readers. She's interested in helping people reuse and upcycle objects for use in the home and garden. She never met a potting shed she didn't like. You can connect with her on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram.
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