A BEE thread....for those interested in beekeeping.

[Beekissed]

I would say, with domestic bees, they probably all need help now and again and it makes sense to help them. Wild bees I'll not feed at all. They will rise or fall according to their own behavior or the available food out there. Feeding them would only ruin what makes their wild vigor what it is. I don't want to domesticate a wild bee no more than I want to feed wild birds...it weakens them, ultimately, and may sound compassionate in the short term but will kill them~as a whole~ in the long run. Much like when people feed the local deer herd when the winters are hard....hard winters weed out the weak, leaving the strong to survive...it's necessary for the genetic hardiness of the herd as a whole.

I wouldn't let a domestic chicken or duck starve either....the wild ones? No one feeds them and they live or die on feed they forage.

It may sound very harsh, but there it is. We'll see what the ultimate outcome will be...could be I'll have a mostly empty hive box or it could be that I have the strongest bees out there, who knows? Time will tell....

 

[rebrascora]

@Leahs Mom

I would rather (and do) feed my bees syrup made from granulated white sugar than feed them honey from another apiary, no matter how reputable I felt the source... Pathogens like AFB are known to be transmitted via spores in honey and what may not adversely affect one colony that has been exposed to it for some time could have a devastating effect on another that has not had previous contact. If bees need emergency feeding then in my experience sugar syrup really is the safest option unless you have honey that you previously harvested from that hive. Think of it like giving someone a blood transfusion from an unmatched donor. It's all blood but some will make you better and some will kill you....better to give your bees the major components (ie sucrose and water) and let them turn it into what they need.

@Beekissed

Bees are a little different to other creatures in that you cannot pen them in, so the difference between domestic and wild is much less distinct. In your continent there will of course be no truly wild honey bees because they are not native, but there are also no truly domesticated bees either because they come and go and swarm at will, usually despite our best efforts, and it is very difficult to control their breeding. The best we can do is provide a decent home and hope to take a little rent when they can afford it but also help them out in times of need, especially if they did not chose to live in the location we put them.
If I lose a swarm and it finds somewhere to live, like a hollow tree or house wall or roof, I agree that it lives or dies by it's own merit, but if I catch that swarm and put it into a hive of my choosing in a location that I have selected, then I have a responsibility to it because the choices I have made in those respects may not be as good as another location/cavity that they would have chosen for themselves and I do think that location is hugely important when keeping bees..... I currently have 9 colonies right outside my back door and even the tiniest colonies have survived winter, but I have previously tried other locations in my garden where the bees have been much less happy and not flourished. I don't know why 50 feet or so can make such a big difference between bees thriving and failing, but in my experience it can, so do be prepared to rethink your apiary site if you are having problems that you can't put your finger on..

 

[Beekissed]

I think that distinction between wild/feral and domestic becomes much more evident, the more a bee colony or colonies are supplemented in order to help them survive~one set becomes hardy through the hard culling of seasonal nectar flows, weather, disease, predation, etc. The other are carefully tended and nurtured past all of that with the use of supplemental feeding, medicines, etc., so are not developing any hardiness outside of these interventions.

I think there is room on this thread for those who believe in intense management and those who believe in very little management at all, without one or the other trying to push an agenda on those who don't want to follow it. No one is saying feeding your bees is a bad thing for your domestic bees, it's just not something I see as beneficial for the bees I'm attempting to lure in and so I won't be doing it. Everyone should feel free to discuss the pros and cons of all methods of beeking here without there being a general outcry when someone expresses something contrary to what you feel is good beekeeping practice. No more than I would berate someone else for feeding their bees and nursing them along....that's entirely their right and I don't have to agree with it, but I'm certainly not going to try and tell them they shouldn't do it.

I see that in all these forums when someone wants to raise livestock as naturally as possible or wants to use alternative feeding or caring methods....immediately there are certain people that get riled about that. I've always wondered why that is such a hot topic or button for folks...why do they even care if someone wants to try something different?

 

[mak1]

Speaking of moisture in hives, We use cedar wood to make there beehives. The lids with ventilation have had more success than those without. Ceder absorbs water and keeps it dry unlike pine it gets all moldy and nasty.

 

[rottlady]

the one thing to keep in mind is that feral bee hives in the woods in trees are established in locations with food.AND they swarm and move if the food source vanishes

When humans set up a hive or capture a feral hive and box it up then put the hive where the HUMANS want it. Then we keep splitting the hive so they don't swarm and move to better food.

Once you make the commitment to box up a colony of bees you have to either make sure the hive is where there is food all the time naturally or supplement through the dry spells

 

[Beekissed]

the one thing to keep in mind is that feral bee hives in the woods in trees are established in locations with food.AND they swarm and move if the food source vanishes

When humans set up a hive or capture a feral hive and box it up then put the hive where the HUMANS want it. Then we keep splitting the hive so they don't swarm and move to better food.

Once you make the commitment to box up a colony of bees you have to either make sure the hive is where there is food all the time naturally or supplement through the dry spells

Actually....you don't. Providing them a box to move into doesn't hold one to any commitment whatsoever unless it's just in your own mind. I don't intend to take them to raise, but am just providing them a safe habitat for their hive. It's as simple as all of that.

My hive box will not be placed anywhere to capture a wild swarm and THEN cart them away from their home...that would be kind of crazy. I'm just building a hive box and baiting it so they will explore it for an abode. Last year they were exploring our log shed for just such a purpose, but it has no good place for bees to live....so I'm just giving them an alternative if they come scouting for a home again this year.

I live in the woods and the wild bees that come here come from the woods surrounding our home...thousands of acres of woodland on all sides of me and no one in this area for miles are keeping bees...these are truly small, dark and wild bees. Now, if I were baiting a box and placing it in a wood, then taking those bees away from that location, then I'd say your post has merit, but I'm not doing that.

 

[rottlady]

ah! then you do bee stuff different than anyone I know

Most capture swarms or trap colonies out of trees and take them far away. to their home, bee yard or whatever. For the purpose of making honey to harvest and introducing new bees to their operation

 

[Beekissed]

ah! then you do bee stuff different than anyone I know

Most capture swarms or trap colonies out of trees and take them far away. to their home, bee yard or whatever. For the purpose of making honey to harvest and introducing new bees to their operation

You have no idea.....

I do just about everything differently than everyone else, so beekeeping is no different. I guess you could say I'm an out of the hive box thinker.

I have no desire to keep a bee yard nor have an operation of any kind. Just want to give some bees a place to swarm into that won't fall down in a high wind, get robbed by the local black bears or other predators, or otherwise keep them from reproducing their own kind. A jar of honey is about all I'd take from them, if that, if they have a glut of honey available in any given year.

This is no different than folks putting up those little boxes for bats to have a place to hibernate or for mason bees to live and reproduce. I'm providing a home, some food from the orchard and garden, but have no desire to alter them in any way.

 

[katsdar]

Hello my bee keeping friends,


I went outside today to find this, and I know nothing about bees, so can someone give me the 411






It is really close to my back porch, you can hear them standing at my back door. Should I be concerned?

 

[OEF5]

That is a bee swarm, so the bees left where they were with the queen and are looking for a new home. Call a local bee keeper, they can catch them.

No need to be concerned, if they are sending out scouts to find a new home, and are the most docile you will see honey bees.

Here helped you out!

http://www.bees-on-the-net.com/georgia-swarm-removal/

Pic one that's close to you and give them a call.