Interesting thoughts on who becomes a beekeeper. Having listened to, and taken phone calls from (literally) a thousand people who thought this present time would be a good time to "get into bees," I offered a beginning beekeeping course.
The response was abysmal. Still, every week people seek me out looking for out-of-season nucs, used equipment (which means like-new stuff for pennies on the dollar), and plenty of free advice on how to get started. In all my conversations, I try to be non-judgmental, encouraging and optimistic.
Many times my first two questions are 1) what books have you read?, and 2) what is your purpose of "getting into bees?"
The answer to question 1 is: "Books? What's there to know?" (Remember Mark Twain said a person who can read and doesn't is no better off than the person who can't read).
The answer to the second question is: "Oh, I just think having bees around is a good thing, you know, to pollinate the garden, and we go through a lot of honey (purchased from you) and we'd like to get our honey for free."
Then I begin to explain the initial, start-up costs of buying the woodware and foundation and when to buy the bees. They are flabbergasted. They never knew it cost so much to get a little "free" honey. Then they return to wondering if I have some used equipment I would give them so they can "catch a swarm."
Everything I have is in use, though one time I gave (for free) some of my used equipment to an aspiring beekeeper. All he did was complain. He called it "high-grade kindling that should have been tossed on the burn pile" So I sold the next guy some brand new equipment. He complained because I charged him the full catalog price.
The initial financial investment is high and we all know the challenges to keeping bees healthy and productive. We know there are seasons in which some practices are required to keeping bees healthy. Most of all, I want people who make the investment of their time and energy to be successful.
And while we can measure "success" on different levels, I think my definition of success is finding joy in what you do and being resilient to overcoming the challenges. A little "free" honey might also be a nice treat.
I think the two greatest attributes of a successful beekeeper would be 1) having a clear sense of purpose as to why you want to keep bees, and 2) possessing a passion that is determined to overcome the challenges.
To these two, I might add a third attribute, and that would be 3) a thirst for the knowledge of understanding these fascinating little creatures and what makes that hive function.
Grant
Jackson, MO
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