Beekeeper Info

Why I Enjoy Beekeeping

Sometimes, when people find out I keep bees, one of the first things they ask is why I would do such a thing. After all, bees are known for two things: honey and stingers. Since you can get honey simply by going to the store, why would you put yourself through the experience of being stung? Well, for me, there are a number of reasons. First, the honey you get from your own bees is very different from what you get in the store. Second, bees play a very important role in the ecology of our planet. Third, there are other benefits to keeping bees that many people never consider—but which beekeepers know all about.

Honey: The trademark of a beekeeper

Honey has been used as a sweetener for centuries, long before we began cultivating and processing cane sugar (or other sweeteners). It’s a good bet that the first beekeeper began keeping honey bees simply to have a ready supply of this liquid gold.

While some people may shrug and think they can just go to the store for honey, this isn’t completely accurate. The honey you purchase in the store is highly processed and does not yield the same benefits—or taste—that your own honey does.

Doctors who treat allergies have long recommended that people eat honey from their own geographic region to help cut down on their allergic responses. Honey that you purchase in the store could have come from anywhere; what’s more, because it is so highly processed, frequently the beneficial compounds that could have helped alleviate allergic responses have been removed. Plus, to be honest, the highly-processed honey you purchase in the store simply is not as tasty as the honey you get out of your own hive.

My bees help the plants in my area

Many plants rely on bees for help in pollination. I can be proud in knowing that by keeping honey bees I am helping to play an important role in the continued growth of all manner of plants in my area. In fact, bees play a role in roughly 80% of the pollination done by insects, and without bees, more than one-third of the fruits and vegetables that people eat would not be able to survive.

Other benefits to my bees

Finally, my honey bees are useful for other things, too. I can harvest the wax and sell it. The pollen has health benefits. There are many benefits to keeping honey bees, but probably the biggest one is this: I enjoy it!