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

[vahomesteaders]

The first thing I noticed the first year is the blooms. I could not believe the difference. We have a 250 acre farm below our property that I farm. It is covered in blackberry bushes. They have exploded since I started keeping bees. We harvest all of them and make jam and jelly to keep and sell. Our biggest problem is the bears. But the electric fence keeps them at bay. One recomendation I would give is put cinnimon all around and on top of your hive. I also put pepperment leaves ontop and around as well. It will keep the ants and other bugs away very well. Just reapply after a good rain.

 

[Amiga]

Very nice! I make salve also. I started with comfrey salve, and this year I made some dandelion flower oil - that can be made into salve.

I became very interested in wax as I was thinking about what people can use instead of plastic for vessels and other household items. Have you seen the cloth and beeswax sheets that can be used instead of plastic sheeting to cover bowls of food?

We also have some basket willow I started from cuttings last year. That is very useful! Now I just need to develop superb time management so I can actually make all these wonderful things!

Speaking of comfrey, ours has been blooming. It is so pretty. I am establishing a couple of new plots - between the ducks and the rodents, we lost our main comfrey patch last year, and the secondary one was being shaded out, so I started some from seed and now they have a good location. I don't mind the ducks eating some, but I would like it to come back!

 

[vahomesteaders]

Very nice! I make salve also. I started with comfrey salve, and this year I made some dandelion flower oil - that can be made into salve.

I became very interested in wax as I was thinking about what people can use instead of plastic for vessels and other household items. Have you seen the cloth and beeswax sheets that can be used instead of plastic sheeting to cover bowls of food?

We also have some basket willow I started from cuttings last year. That is very useful! Now I just need to develop superb time management so I can actually make all these wonderful things!

Speaking of comfrey, ours has been blooming. It is so pretty. I am establishing a couple of new plots - between the ducks and the rodents, we lost our main comfrey patch last year, and the secondary one was being shaded out, so I started some from seed and now they have a good location. I don't mind the ducks eating some, but I would like it to come back!

Comfrey is great. It spreads like wildfire here. I have seen the beeswax sheeting. I have not made any myself. Im just now getting to where I can afford to remove the comb. I usually just cut the caps and harvest the honey and leave the comb so the bees just have to refill and cap off the next season. Opps gotta run the neighbor just showed up. Will continue later. Love talking bee goodies.

 

[Amiga]

Thanks for the tips. We grow a few kinds of mint here - plenty of it, especially apple mint.

I need to inspect the hive tomorrow, then - check on the feeder (I have a feeder behind a false back board, based on recommendations from top bar people. And check to see if the queen is out - and remove the cage. Since those bees had already started making comb after four days in the package, I expect to see some comb going. Brood is generally the first they draw out, I believe. But who knows? I am slightly concerned they may have already started making honeycomb. But I don't really expect that.

 

[Amiga]

Thanks for the visit, hope others on the thread feel free to jump in. Get me going about the gardens, the ducks . . . I am enjoying this thread very much.

I put some lemongrass essential oil in the hive before adding the bees - it is supposed to help the hive smell like home. Also hung some empty brood comb, again, to encourage them to stay.

Looking forward to tomorrow's quick peek, and need to bring a camera(person). I am wearing my veil jacket and gloves - very cautious person. My beloved was less than ten feet away, with no veil, and the bees ignored him.

 

[1muttsfan]

The top bar hive I started a few weeks ago is going gangbusters, the bees are so busy collecting nectar and pollen that you can stand literally right next to the entrance and they just fly by. I did remove the queen cage after 3 days, she had exited and it was full of bees and had comb built on it - just laid it on the ground to let the bees come out and reenter the hive. I also removed the feeder from inside the hive, as I was going to be gone for several days and my house watcher would not have been able to check it. They are not eating very much from it, as the flowers have thankfully finally started blooming.

So far the only time I have used the jacket is when first introducing the bees to the hive. They have been extremely docile, even when opening the hive. My dogs and cat walk around under the hive without any aggression from the bees.

A book that helped me considerably when planning this venture can be found on Amazon (available for Kindle download) - Top Bar Beekeeping by Les Crowder. It gives good suggestions for maintaining a TB hive. While still requiring regular work, and while not producing as much honey, TB hives offer other benefits, especially to the bees. Both types of hives have their pros and cons.

Happy bees:

 

[Happy Chooks]

Amiga - Congrats on getting your bees in! Once the queen has been freed from the cage, be sure to look for eggs. When I installed last year, they killed the queen, and I had to requeen pretty quickly. The 2nd queen was accepted by the colony and things went fine from there.

muttsfan - be careful when it gets really hot, the bees can be cranky when it's hot out.

 

[Amiga]

Thank you both!

 

[1muttsfan]

If it ever gets hot here I will be careful (60 today)

 

[OHhappychicks]

Well, talked to my friend yesterday about the swarm. They are going to check on it tomorrow and bring it here maybe thursday!!!
Yippee!!! She is not sure there is a queen yet, but so far it is still there!! We took the hive out and set it up on Sunday! Just waitin for some bees to make it a home! I think I have some lemongrass essential oil. When should I apply it? I've read that before but forgot. I also like the idea of putting peppermint around the hive. I have lots of that also. I have another question. My DH set the hive on a solid concrete block stand. By that I mean the blocks are solid and he put them all around in a square, no circulation between blocks. Does there need to be circulation around, underneath it?