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

[NevadaRon]

Our bees are multiplying! Caught them last year as a swarm at a high school a few miles away. Quietly hanging on a tree limb. Cut the limb off, set it in a clean trash can and brought them home. Also purchased a nuc the following week. The nuc died before fall and the swarm is growing strong and healthy! So excited!

Wow - look at you! SwarmCatcher!

 

[Evelle]

Oh thank you so much. I'm just a nervous wreck. I feel like no matter how much I prepare for them it's not enough. My husbands the kind of person who likes to jump head first then learn from his mistakes. I like to prep and prep and read and ask questions before I even think about going a head with anything. Lol

 

[Silver Silkie]

We've been thinking about getting some bees after we move to a nice property of 3 acres. Anyone know what exactly to do after you collect the honey?

 

[NevadaRon]

We've been thinking about getting some bees after we move to a nice property of 3 acres. Anyone know what exactly to do after you collect the honey?

Eat it? Sell it? Seriously, I'm not sure exactly what it is you are asking.

 

[settingdusk]

honey doesn't spoil, it can be eaten after very long periods of time and you can make things like honey mead or use it as a sugar substitute or dehydrate it into honey suckers.

 

[NevadaRon]

honey doesn't spoil, it can be eaten after very long periods of time and you can make things like honey mead or use it as a sugar substitute or dehydrate it into honey suckers.

Mmm, that sounds good!

For more ideas Silver Silkie, check out the National Honey Board website.

 

[sgtmom52]

We went to check our 1 hive that survived the winter on a local farm this afternoon and to make sure the 5 empty hives are ready for the new bees we are getting to fill them this weekend.
We found that the hive with bees must have just swarmed and watched a new queen hatch from one of the swarm cells. It was cool to watch. Another queen cell accidentally broke off and I picked it up and put it in my queen catcher to take home. During the ride that queen cell hatched too. Once we got her home I marked her (red), put her in a queen cage, feed her a little honey and made a split from another hive into a nuc for her. I will check her in a couple of days to see if she is released. She still needs to do her mating flight.

 

[happyhensny]

I am just learning about these wonderful creatures and hoping to get ALOT more educated. We tried a friends nuc and they did not make the summer. By fall the hive was empty. No idea what happened. The swarm DH caught is doing absolutely fantastic. Is it possible to harvest honey in the spring? What are the determining factors?

 

[mlongworth]

I am in the process of getting approval from DH for a hive. Been doing a lot of research and reading. Since i have a builder at home i am going to have him make me a top bar hive. I am know trying to decide what bees to get. So a few questions. Which breed of bee is best? Or pros and cons of breeds. And where is the best place to get them. I know there are a few beekeepers near me would it be best to get bees from them if possible as they are use to my weather? Thanks.

 

[settingdusk]

You want healthy bees, they should not be sick and dying. The comb should look pretty and have pollen/honey stores. The queen trap goes before the box you want to get honey from, usually a top box or separate hive with a connection and queen trap to keep her out. The box that the queen cannot get too will be filled with honey and pollen. Both are delicious and can be harvested whenever the comb is mostly filled. Never harvest the larva cells. Though fried bee larva are delicious. This side is for making new drones. Try to buy breeds local to the area. They are becoming replaced by more aggressive varieties and it is harder to get traditional colonies.