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

[houseofknauss]

Hey OkieQueenBee

Thanks for the reply. Yes the hive did successfully produce another queen and she has been laying like a trooper! So we were worried we might lose that hive but its looking really strong now. The other hive we do think swarmed as numbers dropped drastically one week. We are feeding them loads of sugar water at the moment getting them ready for the winter!

we had a swarm show up at our rental house and the tenant frantically calling us. we don't keep bees but we knew 2 beekeepers. one came over to collect them. he figured there was around 15,000 bees in the swarm.

the more I read and see, the more I am interested in getting some.

more investigative reading and convincing the hubby!!!!....

need less to say, our beekeeper friend keeps his bees chemical free and the honey is great!!!!(he was excited to get this swarm)

 

[sgtmom52]

Swarm collecting is a lot of fun. Since the bees are just looking for a new home they are very docile and not likely to sting. You can do a lot of "magical" things with them and make people think you are the "bee Whisperer". You put you hand right into the swarm and lift them without getting stung, work without protective gear and even have the bees march right into a hive be themselves. I love catching swarms ~ if they are within reach and not 60' up a tree where some of ours go.

Sadly ~ no hives are truly chemical free. You can forgo using chemicals in your hives, but it is almost impossible to control all chemicals within a 3 mile (or more) radius around your hives. Even those who claim their honey is organic probably have some chemicals in there due to the honeybees foraging where there may be chemicals in the plants or even water. I have read that the closet honey to being chemical free comes from some secluded forests in the Himalayas.

 

[houseofknauss]

Swarm collecting is a lot of fun. Since the bees are just looking for a new home they are very docile and not likely to sting. You can do a lot of "magical" things with them and make people think you are the "bee Whisperer". You put you hand right into the swarm and lift them without getting stung, work without protective gear and even have the bees march right into a hive be themselves. I love catching swarms ~ if they are within reach and not 60' up a tree where some of ours go.

Sadly ~ no hives are truly chemical free. You can forgo using chemicals in your hives, but it is almost impossible to control all chemicals within a 3 mile (or more) radius around your hives. Even those who claim their honey is organic probably have some chemicals in there due to the honeybees foraging where there may be chemicals in the plants or even water. I have read that the closet honey to being chemical free comes from some secluded forests in the Himalayas.

ya exactly, he only claims to be chemical free in the hive. no miticides etc.......what do you do in todays world,?? its hard no matter what you do to try and not put chemicals in your body that shouldn't be there.

 

[SunnySkies]

I have a general OK to go ahead from DH....he says it will either be bees or goats, and at least bees don't need a fence. Maybe eventually the bees could help pay for the goats.

I don't think he quite realizes I need to buy some gear, and I should consider buying stock in a sugar company to get them through the first summer...

 

[sgtmom52]

I have a general OK to go ahead from DH....he says it will either be bees or goats, and at least bees don't need a fence. Maybe eventually the bees could help pay for the goats.

I don't think he quite realizes I need to buy some gear, and I should consider buying stock in a sugar company to get them through the first summer...

Awesome! Bees will be less work than the goats as they don't need daily care. If you go with a Langstroth hive you should be able to get a new hive, smoker, veil, hive tools and bees for under $300. Other than the bees this would be a one time purchase and should last many years. I recommend going with wax foundation and staying away from plastic. Plastic does last longer, but I don't think the bees draw it out as well and then there is the problem of disposal when it is too old.

I don't know where in Maryland you are, but there are good Beekeeper Associations there. There are also northern MD beekeepers in the York County Beekeepers Assoc in PA. (I am the President there right now).

Sugar is not that bad right now ~ You really only need to feed them until there is a good nectar flow and they have the comb drawn out good. Don't plan on getting any honey the first year ~ that is for building up the hive only.

This winter is the best time to get your hive, assemble and paint it. You can paint it any color you want even multicolor ~ the bees don't care. Although try to stay away from very dark colors as it may get to hot in the summer sun. Bees should be ordered in Jan or Feb for spring delivery. Bees can sell out very fast. There are some sources for bees list on the York County website ~ www.ycbk.org

 

[Deb B]

Awesome! Bees will be less work than the goats as they don't need daily care. If you go with a Langstroth hive you should be able to get a new hive, smoker, veil, hive tools and bees for under $300. Other than the bees this would be a one time purchase and should last many years. I recommend going with wax foundation and staying away from plastic. Plastic does last longer, but I don't think the bees draw it out as well and then there is the problem of disposal when it is too old.

I don't know where in Maryland you are, but there are good Beekeeper Associations there. There are also northern MD beekeepers in the York County Beekeepers Assoc in PA. (I am the President there right now).

Sugar is not that bad right now ~ You really only need to feed them until there is a good nectar flow and they have the comb drawn out good. Don't plan on getting any honey the first year ~ that is for building up the hive only.

This winter is the best time to get your hive, assemble and paint it. You can paint it any color you want even multicolor ~ the bees don't care. Although try to stay away from very dark colors as it may get to hot in the summer sun. Bees should be ordered in Jan or Feb for spring delivery. Bees can sell out very fast. There are some sources for bees list on the York County website ~ www.ycbk.org

I painted my hives in "Dappled Sunlight" because the name of the paint sounded nice and it matched my house. White is boring!

 

[SunnySkies]

Ok, if one lives in an area where the biggest and most reliable nectar flow begins around April 15 and ends approximately June 1-10, when should the bees arrive? It seems like, based on egg development times, that the bees need to be installed in early March and fed to produce workers in order to have the best chance of creating an optimal winter food supply ...which doesn't seem to be possible.

If one lives in such an area and bees arrive on April 15-20 or later, how do they survive? Supplemental feeding through the summer?

I have read MD bees need 70-80 lbs to survive a winter here, which may vary from warm to bitterly cold. I was definitely not planning to take any honey the first year...seems like it is just not in the bees' best interest to take their stores the first year, like the first year is about getting the bees going, get them built up and ready to get through the winter. And even then, they might not make it. I read 30-50% of MD beehives die during the winter. No bueno. It can't be the cold...other places get more cold and snow.

I would totally go to a meeting -- and 4 clubs seem to be in my area, actually -- but they all conflict with swim team (my eldest son is already a competitive swimmer at a pretty decent level for his age), hubby's work schedule, or my work schedule. Sigh. I could do it, if we skipped team and I convinced hubby to come home from work 3 hours early. The net, You Tube and books may be my best bet for now, which is really too bad. But I have read online about several people not far from me with bees...one is actually within bee flying distance.

I have a lovely can of green paint in my garage that I bought for painting coops. Summer Sage or something like that, lol.

 

[boskelli1571]

So, if you can't get to the beekeepers' meetings, turn up on their doorstep (the one down the road). I think you will find that most beekeepers are like chicken people - they love to talk about their 'animals'! He or she would probably be the best source of information for many of your questions. Also several beekeeping societies have web sites. That's also an excellent source of info. for local conditions. Sue

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote: Good to know.

I haven't been on this thread is quite a while. I lost my hive over winter last year. This spring, I got a new set of bees from a local beekeeper and I'm much happier with the bees. They are New World Carnolian bees, and they are much calmer than the bees I had last year. And I got a mentor in the process! So far, they are doing well this winter. All I have to do is get them to spring and I'll feel so much better!

 

[galanie]

I've put a top bar hive out with a feeder on top. When it's warm, the bees are now all over it. They've been crawling around inside it and everything. I'm hoping this spring to attract a swarm.