Hand-carved wooden gift for a beekeeper?
September 19, 2023 12:22 PM Subscribe
What's the perfect hand-carved wooden gift for a beekeeper?
My boss has a little apiary going and just mailed me a really beautiful jar of honey. I've got a bunch of really nice loquat and hackberry in my garage waiting for me to carve it, and I'd like to make something to send back to him that's somehow beekeeping-specific. But here's the rub: I don't know anything about beekeeping, so I have no idea what would be useful. Would a beekeeper want a long, skinny spoon? A heavy spatula? Something else? What should I make?
My boss has a little apiary going and just mailed me a really beautiful jar of honey. I've got a bunch of really nice loquat and hackberry in my garage waiting for me to carve it, and I'd like to make something to send back to him that's somehow beekeeping-specific. But here's the rub: I don't know anything about beekeeping, so I have no idea what would be useful. Would a beekeeper want a long, skinny spoon? A heavy spatula? Something else? What should I make?
A teensy, tiny spoon for serving honey. Like pinkie-size: it shows you using a lot of care & concentration to make the gift.
Make sure you carve it from food-safe wood. You can seal it with warm beeswax, I expect. :7)
posted by wenestvedt at 12:42 PM on September 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
Make sure you carve it from food-safe wood. You can seal it with warm beeswax, I expect. :7)
posted by wenestvedt at 12:42 PM on September 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
> and I'd like to make something to send back to him that's somehow beekeeping-specific
He's already got all the tools and paraphernalia he needs for beekeeping and honey processing, and has intense _opinions_ about the stuff.
Make him a kitchen spatula, salad spoons, a desk organizer / entryway valet tray, a Nicholas Cage figurine, or a keepsake box - with bee ornamental motifs!
posted by sebastienbailard at 12:45 PM on September 19, 2023 [5 favorites]
He's already got all the tools and paraphernalia he needs for beekeeping and honey processing, and has intense _opinions_ about the stuff.
Make him a kitchen spatula, salad spoons, a desk organizer / entryway valet tray, a Nicholas Cage figurine, or a keepsake box - with bee ornamental motifs!
posted by sebastienbailard at 12:45 PM on September 19, 2023 [5 favorites]
Beekeeping tools used on/in/around colonies get grody pretty quick, thanks to the honeybee's fondness for propolis - basically tree saps/resins they use to seal small cracks and whatnot. The dipper and spoon sound like great ideas.
posted by jquinby at 12:47 PM on September 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by jquinby at 12:47 PM on September 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
Wooden spoon with a bee design in or on the handle end.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 12:48 PM on September 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 12:48 PM on September 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
Seconding Sebastien that tools might not be the best gift... Depending on your friend's opinion on decorating hives, I think a little carved figurehead or charm for the hives might be cool.
posted by Pickman's Next Top Model at 12:49 PM on September 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by Pickman's Next Top Model at 12:49 PM on September 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
if you have some boards, making a small set of shelves in hexagons is a cool callback to the bees, and isn't something that there is danger that he already owns.
If you only do wood-carving in hand, then carving a bee out of a pale wood and polishing it with beeswax until it shines would make a pretty Christmas tree ornament (if they swing that way) or desk decoration. Use black wire for the legs, and gold wire if you can't carve wings. Set it into a disc of wood.
posted by wenestvedt at 1:21 PM on September 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
If you only do wood-carving in hand, then carving a bee out of a pale wood and polishing it with beeswax until it shines would make a pretty Christmas tree ornament (if they swing that way) or desk decoration. Use black wire for the legs, and gold wire if you can't carve wings. Set it into a disc of wood.
posted by wenestvedt at 1:21 PM on September 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
Beekeeping tools do get kind of grody.
A spoon or dipper would be lovely, especially if you could carve a little bee or a hexagon on it.
If he celebrates Christmas, a carved Christmas ornament would be nice.
Some beekeepers like to decorate their hives, so a little carved sign or something might be charming, but that's the kind of thing you have to know your beekeeper well to know if they'd like it.
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 8:39 PM on September 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
A spoon or dipper would be lovely, especially if you could carve a little bee or a hexagon on it.
If he celebrates Christmas, a carved Christmas ornament would be nice.
Some beekeepers like to decorate their hives, so a little carved sign or something might be charming, but that's the kind of thing you have to know your beekeeper well to know if they'd like it.
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 8:39 PM on September 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
One of my favorite ways to use excellent fresh honey is to serve it on/with cheese. If the wood you have is appropriate for it, maybe a cheese board would be nice, so your boss can show off his honey to guests, or just enjoy it with his family, on it?
posted by rhiannonstone at 9:19 PM on September 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by rhiannonstone at 9:19 PM on September 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
My friend had someone in maybe Croatia carve me a gorgeous spoon w a bee on it. I don’t use it but I put it in a shelf w my other pretty bee things.
posted by mermaidcafe at 2:57 AM on September 20, 2023
posted by mermaidcafe at 2:57 AM on September 20, 2023
Also maybe a queen bee box? They can be used to introduce the queen or to keep her from laying eggs in the honey. I don’t know the dimensions offhand but you would need to find out bc bee measurements are important.
I imagine every beekeeper has received like a thousand honeydippers and anything related to serving, eating, or drinking honey.
posted by mermaidcafe at 3:02 AM on September 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
I imagine every beekeeper has received like a thousand honeydippers and anything related to serving, eating, or drinking honey.
posted by mermaidcafe at 3:02 AM on September 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
Last one! Hive tools are metal but sometimes have wooden handles. It’d be beautiful and useful to give a hive tool (that’s the name) w a hand-carved handle.
posted by mermaidcafe at 3:05 AM on September 20, 2023
posted by mermaidcafe at 3:05 AM on September 20, 2023
maybe something to do with St Ambrose? He's the patron saint of bees & beekeepers (and candle makers). couple of nice (tho look complicated to carve) examples here
https://www.cultureoncall.com/the-patron-saint-of-bee-keepers/
https://www.etsy.com/ie/listing/250954813/stambrose-patron-saint-of-bees
posted by tnai at 9:49 AM on September 20, 2023
https://www.cultureoncall.com/the-patron-saint-of-bee-keepers/
https://www.etsy.com/ie/listing/250954813/stambrose-patron-saint-of-bees
posted by tnai at 9:49 AM on September 20, 2023
Response by poster: Thanks folks, a lot of good answers here. With y'all's help I'm realizing that making it beekeeping-specific probably isn't gonna work so I'm just gonna wow him with some handmade salad tongs and call it a day. Thanks again!!
posted by saladin at 1:06 PM on October 20, 2023
posted by saladin at 1:06 PM on October 20, 2023
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by quadrilaterals at 12:28 PM on September 19, 2023 [2 favorites]