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

[aggieterpkatie]

I've been wanting to get bees since we moved into our house last May. Hubby is still not sure about it.

I'm interested in the pollenation for the garden, honey, and wax. I did manage to find a local bee farm that sells raw honey, so I've been buying their honey for a little while now. It's so good!

 

[sgtmom52]

We opened our hives yesterday during an unseasonably warm 70 degree afternoon in PA. We were very happy to find that all 5 hives came through the winter very well. The bees were bringing in lots of pollen and nectar and had eggs, larva and capped brood.

Due to the amount of left over honey from the winter and the strength of the hives ~ we are planning to super all the hives next week (after the next 2 days of rain). We did feed them in the fall to make sure they were strong going into the winter. I am glad we did feed them as some other beekeepers in our club chose not to feed in the fall and lost hives to starvation over the winter.

 

[BirdBrain]

I would love to keep bees. My son is allergic to wasps and possibly bees. When I was a kid living in South America, my dad and I would catch or burn out swarms of Africanized bees that came through. We found that they were not much good for honey asthey were too frenzied. It seemed like they only produced enough to keep themselves alive. We also had problems with hives developing fungus or mold--don't remember which.

 

[sekinkead]

There are several reasons I want to get into bees. For my garden and my orchard, for the honey and the wax. My son is 12 and wants to do the beekeeping project they have next year and he and I love honey. I want to use more honey instead of sugar in my baked goods as well. I plan to do it for a long time (since I am only 30). I am looking at a doing both the TBH and Langstroth because I want honey and wax. I will probably start with the langstroth though since that is what I am familiar with and what I have from when my dad kept bees.

 

[noahsgeese]

Quote:
Are not african bees killers???

 

[Tam'ra of Rainbow Vortex]

I will have to come back later to read all the posts, but I plan to get bees soon. I grew up with them, my Dad has a few hives he keeps as a hobby and i miss the fresh honey!

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Quote:
Are not african bees killers???

Other country's farm them(using TBHs) like we do ours but they are aggressive an can kill.

 

[sgtmom52]

Quote:
The sting of an Africanized honeybee is the same as other honeybees. The difference is that Africanized bees are more aggressive and will attack in large numbers. If you would disturb a regular hive you may get stung 10 or 20 times where with an Africanized colony you may have 100s to 1000s of stings.

Africanized bees can be farmed with proper equipment and caution.

 

[BirdBrain]

Quote:
The sting of an Africanized honeybee is the same as other honeybees. The difference is that Africanized bees are more aggressive and will attack in large numbers. If you would disturb a regular hive you may get stung 10 or 20 times where with an Africanized colony you may have 100s to 1000s of stings.

Africanized bees can be farmed with proper equipment and caution.

You are right. The sting is the same but the hive behavior is different. Strong smells or something flapping around can set them off. If you run from them they will keep following. I put on a bee suit when I was about 16 and went out to mess with the bees in a passing swarm. I had been told various different " fool proof " ways to get away from bees--none of them worked with these guys. If you ever have the chance to hear them in a swarm you will never forget it.

 

[Anianna]

I'm afraid to get into beekeeping because of allergies, but I do enjoy watching and hearing the bees swarm my apple trees in the spring . . . . from a distance and with an epipen handy.

My curiosity, though, is in regards to predators. I have seen YouTube videos of beehives decimated by wasps and we have those wasps here that have the wingless females that lay their eggs with bees and their young feeds on the bees' young. These are the wasps that look like giant red and black ants wandering around in the grass. Do any of you beekeepers ever have problems with such predators in your beehives?