In today’s world, it’s all too easy to get lost in the depths of social media. What starts as a quick glance at your phone can quickly turn into an hour of endless scrolling. This digital engagement often replaces real-time interactions with actual people, making it harder to get out and meet others. However, joining a club can offer numerous benefits—emotional, mental, physical, and even spiritual. Clubs used to be a much bigger part of our lives back in the day. While the internet offers a wealth of information, it’s increasingly becoming like Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World,” where any useful information is buried under so much irrelevance. Surprisingly, beekeeping can be a very social activity. Although it can easily be done alone, having a mentor or a bee buddy makes the learning process much smoother. We are fortunate to have several excellent bee clubs nearby, such as Warkworth, Rodney, Kumeu, and Auckland. These clubs offer support, education, and an introduction to the world of beekeeping for anyone. Bee clubs have a club apiary where members and visitors can observe hives and learn how to tend to bees in a friendly and safe environment. Beekeepers love to share their knowledge, experiences, and amusing stories of mishaps, bumper harvests, and stings. I’ve never encountered a group of people so willing to share their knowledge. One of my favourite things about Beeclubs is that you meet such a variety of people, people that you may not usually get the chance to talk to. The first rule of most Beeclubs is - No discussing religion, sport, politics or covid; it doesn’t matter though, as everyone is busy talking about bees anyway. Some people may not have the time, garden or inclination to keep their own bees and yet enjoy participating in the club apiary. Everyone gets something a bit different out of it.
Having your own bees will give you three things that money just can’t buy –
- The smell of honey in your garden on a summer’s evening, as the bees “ripen” or dry out the honey in their hive
- The taste of your own honey; nothing tastes better than a spoonful of honey from a hive that you’ve tended throughout the year
- The gift of your honey. Giving someone a jar of honey from your bees and your garden. It would be a special gift to receive the fruits of your hard work and enterprise.
Joining a club, especially a beekeeping club, can offer a sense of community and shared purpose. It provides an opportunity to learn hands-on and gain practical experience while making friends with others who share your interests.
Auckland Beekeepers Club;
www.aucklandbeekeepersclub.org.net
Rodney Beekeepers Club; www.rodneybeekeepersclub.co.nz
Kumeu Beekeepers Club; www.kumeubeeks.blogspot.com
Warkworth beekeepers Club; Warkworth Beekeepers Society Inc. on Facebook
Ken Brown
President Auckland Beekeepers Club
Apiculture tutor with Land Based Training Ltd
