How do I know if it's the thing for me?

Not sure whether beekeeping is for you? Apart from going on a course to find out what it's all about (local beekeeping associations will usually advertise these - check www.bbka.org.uk), for me there were two key elements that I had to know before finally deciding on whether to start beekeeping:

1. Will I freak out when I open a hive and see thousands of insects crawling around there?
2. How badly does a beesting hurt? If I live in constant fear of getting stung, I figured, I would not be a good beekeeper.

Well, the answer to 1 I found out easily by joining an experienced beekeeper while he was doing a manipulation. The answer is no. Quite on the contrary: love the creatures.

The answer to 2 I found out by joining a novice beekeeping friend on a blustery day, whose ankle-biters gave me a short and sharp introduction to the topic. Luckily, beestings don't seem to affect me much; mainly, I pity the bees.

Photo taken from isciencemag.co.uk