Beekeeping for kids

intently · August 09, 2008, 05:41:17 PM

My 13-year-old wants to get some bees. I know nothing about beekeeping, and I can't find any resources online that talk about whether or not it's a safe hobby for children. Is it something she could do when school is in session? Any pointers you can share will be most appreciated.

Irwin · August 09, 2008, 05:49:54 PM

I think it's safe my granddaughter is only four and she helps me. Get a mentor for her from a local bee club to help her with the bee's and she will be fine.

Irwin · August 09, 2008, 05:51:38 PM

Sorry if you got a boy

buzzbee · August 09, 2008, 06:34:24 PM

Intently,
What part of the country are you from?
It can make a difference on beekeeping practices.Beekeeping for Dummies is an easy read that will cover some of the basics,even though mite treatment and equipment needs are probably different.
My son started when he was 11 but now he's 13 and temporarily lost interest.But the time we learn together is fabulous.He spends time reading the forum here.
People here will gladly offer advice for you to sort what you want to do. Encourage her as much as possible. There are other youths on this forum,such as PDmattoxs son that enjoy bees too.

Card · August 09, 2008, 07:18:07 PM

My 13-year old son enjoys helping me a great deal, so sure - it's appropriate for kids, but saying it would be your child's hobby kind of concerns me.

If you're just wanting to buy a hive to look at every once in awhile, that's one thing - but if you're planning to care for the hive, manage the hive, and collect honey from the hive at some point, then it requires quite a bit of work. There's a pretty fair amount of lifting involved, a lot of cleaning, woodwork (unless you buy the hives pre-assembled) and the ever-present (but usually overblown) threat of being stung. And that's not even getting into the ardous task of honey harvesting and bottling.

I guess what I'm trying to say that is that if beekeeping was the parent's hobby, and the child helped out, then that's an awesome arrangement. If it's the child's hobby alone, without a lot of parental involvement, that's almost certain to be a disaster.

jimmyo · August 09, 2008, 08:08:43 PM

My Niece's boy is 13 and has his own hive this year. Last year he worked in the bees and decided he wanted to start with his own nuc. so we set him up this spring and he's doing fine.
Jim

Moonshae · August 09, 2008, 08:44:28 PM

I started beekeeping at 12, had a great time, and was perfectly safe. The bigger question is can your 13 year old conduct herself responsibly, when it comes to handling things like a smoker? This involves lighting a small fire in a can, and then adding material to flaming fuel. It's safe, as long as you aren't careless or reckless (lighting the smoker near a can of gasoline, near highly flammable fuel on the ground...dry leaves, pine needles, etc). Is she likely to panic when she gets stung (it's infrequent, but not completely avoidable), or just react calmly?

Since she's the one who wants the bees, I suspect that she'll be fine with these things. Have her read a beginning beekeeping book or two (and read them yourself), Beekeeping for Dummies and The Backyard Beekeeper are two good ones, and once you both have a better idea of what's involved, you both can make a more informed decision.

I personally think it's a great hobby for teenagers. It teaches responsibility and provides the satisfaction of a job well done, since the bees can't just be set up and forgotten about, but rather need to be managed fairly closely. It can also help generate an interest in science, which isn't a bad thing, either. :)

Brian D. Bray · August 09, 2008, 11:03:36 PM

I started beekeeping at the ripe old age of 10 but I was lucky I had 2 mentors who had started beekeeping back in the late 1800's and a family history on my paternal grandmother's side that went back 5 generations. Beekeeping is a good hobby for any body, at any age, I'm now teaching my daughter and her 4 kids are right there too, ages 3-8.

SgtMaj · August 09, 2008, 11:18:05 PM

Quote from: intently on August 09, 2008, 05:41:17 PM
My 13-year-old wants to get some bees. I know nothing about beekeeping, and I can't find any resources online that talk about whether or not it's a safe hobby for children. Is it something she could do when school is in session? Any pointers you can share will be most appreciated.

In all liklihood it is perfectly safe for him or her... unless he or she is extremely allergic to bee stings, in which case, just being outdoors with or without a bee hive wouldn't really be "safe". If he or she is extremely allergic like that, he or she can see an allergist who can help.

Most bees don't have to be constantly tended to... so school shouldn't get in the way of it since he or she would only need to tend to the hive at the most, a few times a week, and can be done on weekends or after school. Furthermore, an observation hive can be a great science project, and would be a sure hit at any science fair (especially if it was accompanied by information on CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder).

So my advise is, go for it!

hankdog1 · August 10, 2008, 12:07:28 AM

it's probably alot safer then most things kids do now adays. remember though a hive of bees is just like getting a dog you have to take care of them even if the child losses interest. you might want to find a mentor to help the kid out and make sure that's what you want to do. i can't remember how old i was when i helped my grandpa out keeping bees but it had to be around 4 or 5. now i'm a 3rd generation beekeeper which is pretty dang cool if you ask me. just make sure you don't rush into anything you may end up spending a small fortune and end up having to give it away cause the interest really wasn't there.

SgtMaj · August 10, 2008, 12:13:34 AM

Although it is always much easier to give away a hive than a dog...

sc-bee · August 10, 2008, 01:06:34 AM

Will need help--- you know like you doing it with he/she :-D! All jokes aside an adult and/or mentor. But of course you already know that.

I started because of my son four years ago. He was 11 1/2 then. Do the math somthing else has his attention right now. Wonder what that would be ;).

It's great time together and a wonderful learning experience :)!

intently · August 10, 2008, 01:08:28 AM

Quote from: Card on August 09, 2008, 07:18:07 PM
My 13-year old son enjoys helping me a great deal, so sure - it's appropriate for kids, but saying it would be your child's hobby kind of concerns me.

If you're just wanting to buy a hive to look at every once in awhile, that's one thing - but if you're planning to care for the hive, manage the hive, and collect honey from the hive at some point, then it requires quite a bit of work. There's a pretty fair amount of lifting involved, a lot of cleaning, woodwork (unless you buy the hives pre-assembled) and the ever-present (but usually overblown) threat of being stung. And that's not even getting into the ardous task of honey harvesting and bottling.

I guess what I'm trying to say that is that if beekeeping was the parent's hobby, and the child helped out, then that's an awesome arrangement. If it's the child's hobby alone, without a lot of parental involvement, that's almost certain to be a disaster.

That's what I was afraid of. I'm not sure if I'm up for it right now.... What kind of time commitment are we talking about?

sc-bee · August 10, 2008, 01:20:59 AM

How much time---Wow that's a hard one!!! When I took class I believe they said 40 hrs total for about two hives. You will find it contagious and wanting to look all the time and of course adding more colonies.

Give it a try---- spend some of the time you have. And probably some quality time w/your kid( just have more patience than I do :-D). If you quit in a couple years "Big Deal" :-D!

Kathyp · August 10, 2008, 01:34:03 AM

other than the time spent putting together equipment, i spend about an hour or so per week...less at this time of the year. in spring and fall, it can take more time to do feeding and make sure things are building up, or shutting down. honey extraction is a project, but a fun one for the family. so is wax rendering, but again, rewarding. you can get into candle making and fancy jars, or you can just save your pizza sauce jars and share honey with friends.

i do think that it is a great family thing. it's relatively inexpensive. there is some start up cost, but there would be for any hobby. depending on how fancy you get and how much you can make yourself rather than purchase, the cost is not prohibitive for the average family.

why not see if there are some classes you can take together, or some books or videos that you can get from the library. look for a beekeeping club in your area. maybe you and your child could join. if you get someone to mentor you, you can try beekeeping before you buy into it.

any hobby that keeps a kid interested and active is worth the time any money. think how much more you'd spend on the bad things they can get involved in! at 13, you are at the doorstep of great stuff or hell. a hobby can help make the difference.

SgtMaj · August 10, 2008, 01:48:40 AM

If you don't mind taking a monetary loss on the equipment, then it's no committment at all... because you could ALWAYS find someone willing to buy it from you if she loses interest... but you'd probably be out a couple hundred bucks when it's all said and done.

Of course, more than likely, you'll find it a fascinating hobby and will be more than willing to take over for her if she loses interest.

sc-bee · August 10, 2008, 05:59:42 PM

>at 13, you are at the doorstep of great stuff or hell. a hobby can help make the difference.

Very well said!!!