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

[Deb B]

New to bees, here! We've had them for a week as of tomorrow

DH and I have wanted bees for a while and we had an opportunity to get them and some supplies from a local guy who is getting out of it. So far, they seem to be adapting well to their new home. They have been rather calm thus far, even with DH cutting grass! He didn't push it too far with getting too terribly close to them, but he said regardless they paid him no mind. I plan on living in this thread until I can get through the comments and information, haha! We have a honeybee farm down the way a bit, so we plan to spend some time there sucking up as much information as we can - but what is your best piece of advise? For those of you that have been beekeeping for years, and even those who have been researching for years, what would be your best piece of knowledge?

Have I mentioned we are excited? I seriously think my DH has been living and breathing bee knowledge since the opportunity arose! We looked leisurely before, but now, it's different - duh

This is our hive! And the guy is going to sell us another hive of the same structure for when we are ready to expand. He said we may as well go ahead and plan for it, it's going to happen

Congrats and welcome to beekeeping. My best piece of advice is get involved with your local (or even state) beekeeping association. They will be your best resource for help and getting questions answered. You'd be amazed at how friendly and helpful bee people are. Don't get me wrong, this page is a great resource also. But some things (such as the timing of supering for the nectar flow) are VERY regional and that information should come from the experienced beekeepers in your area. Good luck.

 

[chickenstricken]

Off to look at Mann Lake's supplies..........

That's where I get most of my stuff as well. They have a huge showroom in Woodland that you can check out if you don't mind a short drive.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Is there any special way to clean an extractor? In a couple of weeks, I'll be borrowing one that hasn't been used in several years. It will need to be cleaned before I can use it.

 

[mpape067]

I use soap and water and crank the baskets then rinse well. If it is really bad pressure washers work real well on the stainless ones.

 

[karl E lutz]

we were putting up new fence in an old pasture Sunday and my boy stirred up a nest of bees. They were in the ground next to a fence post so when he drove in a staple they came rushing out.
He got only one very painful sting . I discovered the location by watching ,these bees seem to be aggressive as they started to swarm me and I was a good distance away.
I do not think that they are honey bees as they are in the ground and rather small. Any thoughts on how t get rid of them ? I need the post for the fence and I do not want the juvenile horses that are pastured there to get swarmed.

 

[LightningTFarm]

I am not a beekeeper (but want to be), but I got swarmed by bees coming out of the ground once when I was mowing the grass. They were VERY aggressive and stung me several times through my clothes, and several actually followed me into the house. I had to kill them with a fly swatter. I finally had to spray the hole in the ground with wasp killer, as my nephews were coming for the weekend and I didn't want them to get stung.

 

[OHhappychicks]

we were putting up new fence in an old pasture Sunday and my boy stirred up a nest of bees. They were in the ground next to a fence post so when he drove in a staple they came rushing out.
He got only one very painful sting . I discovered the location by watching ,these bees seem to be aggressive as they started to swarm me and I was a good distance away.
I do not think that they are honey bees as they are in the ground and rather small. Any thoughts on how t get rid of them ? I need the post for the fence and I do not want the juvenile horses that are pastured there to get swarmed.

Ohh! That's not good! I'm new at bees, so I'm sorry I don't have any advice to give, but I know somebody on here will have a good idea for you. Hope you get it taken care of quickly!

Well, checked my bees this weekend and they are doing great! I only got one lite sting, (through the glove), I think I may have mashed it as I lifted the lid. Didn't know it was there. Only hurt for a very short time. They still have about 3 frames to fill yet, but they were looking good!

Will check them again in about 3-4 weeks.

 

[sgtmom52]

we were putting up new fence in an old pasture Sunday and my boy stirred up a nest of bees. They were in the ground next to a fence post so when he drove in a staple they came rushing out.
He got only one very painful sting . I discovered the location by watching ,these bees seem to be aggressive as they started to swarm me and I was a good distance away.
I do not think that they are honey bees as they are in the ground and rather small. Any thoughts on how t get rid of them ? I need the post for the fence and I do not want the juvenile horses that are pastured there to get swarmed.

Odds are that "bees" nesting in the ground are not bees but hornets which are a member of the wasp family. They can be aggressive and each one can sting multiple times unlike honey bees which die after stinging. You can kill them by spraying into the nest entrance with wasp/hornet spray. Do this after dark when they are all in the nest. Be prepared to have some come out after you. Also ~ there may be more than one entrance to a nest.

 

[karl E lutz]

I'm thinking 7 dust all over the ground in the area of the hive . I've heard that they will take it in the hive and kill all of the other bees also.

 

[tmoore8595]

we were putting up new fence in an old pasture Sunday and my boy stirred up a nest of bees. They were in the ground next to a fence post so when he drove in a staple they came rushing out.
He got only one very painful sting . I discovered the location by watching ,these bees seem to be aggressive as they started to swarm me and I was a good distance away.
I do not think that they are honey bees as they are in the ground and rather small. Any thoughts on how t get rid of them ? I need the post for the fence and I do not want the juvenile horses that are pastured there to get swarmed.

They are yellow jackets. Wait until after dark so they will all be in the ground, and pour about 1/4 cup of gasloine in the hole. This will kill them almost instantly.