➡ Quail Hatch Along🥚

[Clearwater Chicken]

Non-Africanized bees should never present a problem to you. Unfortunately, you live far enough south that you could be affected by the Africans.

Normally dealing with regular honeybees would only present a danger when working with the hive. Routine day to day life, honeybees are not out looking to sting anyone. They can be attracted to long hair and the fragrances that it may have due to the use of shampoos and/or hair sprays. If a honey bee gets tangled in your hair, kill it immediately. If you don't, it will eventually work its way in deep enough that it will sting you.

African honeybees, glad we don’t have any up here. @Nabiki as long as you wear protective equipment and carry an epi-pen you should be fine. I have never been stung during an inspection. Just choose the gentlest bee strain, like Italians, and Wear gloves and a veil and a bee suit. Whatever you decide to do have fun and bee safe!

 

[R2elk]

That’s cool. I have a few questions as I am still fairly new and wanting to learn. I split my hive this year and (1) will i still get a honey harvest? (2) Have you ever had a swarm? (3) How did you deal with that swarm? (4) How have you raised your own queens? (5) When do you requeen, if your on a schedule? (6) What strain of honey bees do you have? (7) Have you ever captured a wildness swarm in a lure? (8) How do you set up swarm lure?

I recommend that you visit the sister site BackyardHerds and their dedicated Bees and Beekeeping forums.

1 - Depends on the bees you have and the availability of blooms. Under ideal conditions, yes you may have a honey harvest.

2 - Yes

3 - Captured them and gave them to a friend

4 - Not intentionally

5 - It is recommended to do so annually and definitely every other year.

6 - I currently have hybrid Italians and Saskatraz

7 - My first hive was a swarm that my father smoked out of the side of our house.

8 - Purchase a swarm lure and open it inside your either homemade swarm trap (could be as simple as an empty hive) or purchase a swarm trap.

 

[Clearwater Chicken]

I recommend that you visit the sister site BackyardHerds and their dedicated Bees and Beekeeping forums.

1 - Depends on the bees you have and the availability of blooms. Under ideal conditions, yes you may have a honey harvest.

2 - Yes

3 - Captured them and gave them to a friend

4 - Not intentionally

5 - It is recommended to do so annually and definitely every other year.

6 - I currently have hybrid Italians and Saskatraz

7 - My first hive was a swarm that my father smoked out of the side of our house.

8 - Purchase a swarm lure and open it inside your either homemade swarm trap (could be as simple as an empty hive) or purchase a swarm trap.

Thanks for your answers. I am thinking about requeening with a saskatraz queen. Any benefits to choosing that variety?

 

[CindyinSD]

I would if I were serious about getting bees. Since I'm allergic, though, it's a moot point. I like the idea of keeping bees, but I'm not particularly suicidal.

Interesting story... my dad was a builder in FL. He had a regular tile guy whose name was Bob. Bob was a great guy--always nice to us kids, and he loved bees but was deadly allergic to them. Didn't stop him, though. We were over at his house a lot, looking at his roses and bees and, oh, all sorts of projects. His bee operation kept getting bigger and bigger until he quit doing tile, bought a big truck and he and his wife (kids grown) set off across the country to be migratory bee keepers. He carried the epipen equivalent of the era with him at all times and used them up pretty frequently--never was much for protective gear. I always admired him. Just a really nice guy.

 

[R2elk]

Thanks for your answers. I am thinking about requeening with a saskatraz queen. Any benefits to choosing that variety?

I won't have a fully formed opinion about Saskatraz until after the conclusion of this season and to see how they fare through my winter. My past experiences with bees other than Italians has left me very skeptical about the claims about what good honey producers they are.

The nice thing about requeening is that it is the cheapest and easiest way to change what kind of bees you have.

 

[Clearwater Chicken]

I won't have a fully formed opinion about Saskatraz until after the conclusion of this season and to see how they fare through my winter. My past experiences with bees other than Italians has left me very skeptical about the claims about what good honey producers they are.

The nice thing about requeening is that it is the cheapest and easiest way to change what kind of bees you have.

Yep, the other queen I am debating is the bee weaver ones. I just really don’t want to get rid of my queen but i know I should

 

[FortCluck]

I originally got bees for my fruit tree pollination. A side benefit is that my bees produce the best honey that money can't buy.

I’d just like them because the world needs more bees. Hopefully I can get them soon.

I just need to figure out what to get and where. I want to see if there are classes online since you can’t do in person ones.

 

[FortCluck]

Yep, the other queen I am debating is the bee weaver ones. I just really don’t want to get rid of my queen but i know I should

How do you get rid of it?

And why do you need to?

can someone make a new thread so I can learn lol

 

[Clearwater Chicken]

How do you get rid of it?

And why do you need to?

can someone make a new thread so I can learn lol

Well usually that mean killing the current queen. You are recommended to do this because after 2 years the queens productivity goes down and the colony becomes weaker.

 

[RUNuts]

I’d just like them because the world needs more bees. Hopefully I can get them soon.

I just need to figure out what to get and where. I want to see if there are classes online since you can’t do in person ones.

should be a bee keeping club in your area. Do a couple of searches. I found one and haven't followed through. Lack of time is an issue.

In the meantime, read.