# Beekeeping question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 23, 2013, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beekeeping-question/669536 "2013-09-23T19:21:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kansas_Beekeeper)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beekeeping-question/669536/41 "2013-09-25T18:09:45Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > This thread is so fascinating. I have never once thought about what beekeeping entails. There’s a wonderful book on beekeeping that you might like: > **[The Joys of Beekeeping: Taylor, Professor Richard: 9781908904089: Amazon.com:...](https://www.amazon.com/Joys-Beekeeping-Richard-Taylor/dp/1908904089)** > > Buy The Joys of Beekeeping on Amazon.com ✓ FREE SHIPPING on qualified orders It’s not a how to “how to” manual, and as I remember it, being originally written in 1974 does not discuss many of the health problems that bees have developed since then (Varroa). It’s more the author’s experiences on beekeeping and his reflections on life. The author, Richard Taylor, was a philosophy professor who wrote what is apparently a fairly well known introductory philosophy text book, Metaphysics. > **[Metaphysics, 4th Edition: Taylor, Richard: 9780135678190: Amazon.com: Books](https://www.amazon.com/Metaphysics-4th-Richard-Taylor/dp/0135678196)** > > Metaphysics, 4th Edition \[Taylor, Richard\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Metaphysics, 4th Edition Reading Taylor’s book, The Joys of Beekeeping, is what got me started beekeeping. I’m be a little reluctant to reread it now, for fear I’d run out and buy a bunch of beekeeping equipment and start again. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2013, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beekeeping-question/669536/42 "2013-09-26T18:32:11Z")
> [@Kansas\_Beekeeper](#): > > There are also various diseases that you treat for… Plus hive beetles and wax moths, both of which I had more serious problems with than with mites. For a couple of years I only had one or two beetles and I discounted the problem, then one year they exploded. Beetles everywhere, ruining the honey. Not to mention bears and skunks, and ants and yellowjackets, oh my. I’ve stopped keeping bees as well. Too much work and expense for too little reward and the requests for free honey were going up, up, up. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2013, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beekeeping-question/669536/43 "2013-09-26T19:12:10Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > I’ve stopped keeping bees as well. Too much work and expense for too little reward and the requests for free honey were going up, up, up. You should put a price on your free honey. Do farmers give away their crops? ---
**Author:** ![Craneop2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Craneop2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Craneop2)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2013, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beekeeping-question/669536/44 "2013-09-26T19:28:57Z")
As a beekeeper myself, I must say that I am delighted to see so many fellow apiarist on this board! ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2013, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beekeeping-question/669536/45 "2013-09-26T19:38:56Z")
> [@Craneop2](#): > > As a beekeeper myself, I must say that I am delighted to see so many fellow apiarist on this board! Sweet, ain’t it? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Essured](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Essured](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Essured)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2013, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beekeeping-question/669536/46 "2013-09-27T08:01:00Z")
Yep 🙂 Most of my honey I gave away to friends and family. I also have a few locals that we swap stuff with (I give them honey, they give me surplus fruit or veg from their gardens). And then I sell enough honey from my front gate (to passersby), to cover the costs of jars and labels for all the honey I gave away. I had the opposite problem - I had trouble asking for money, felt awkward [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beekeeping-question/669536.md?page=2)