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

[Reinbeau]

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It's awesome you want to get into beekeeping! First thing I would do is find my local bee club and join - no doubt they hold a 'bee school' at some point in the year. Here is a link to the Bee Culture bee club listing. They also probably do bulk orders of packages, that's the cheapest way to get going. If I may, you'd be better off with two hives to start, that way you can have one to draw on if you need to help the other along - plus if you lose one, you'll still have one!

As for your questions, buy your woodenware first. Get it all assembled, painted and ready. Then buy a package of bees, it should come with a queen. I would be surprised if the orange grower was upset with a hive nearby, it would do nothing but help him out, and orange blossom honey is one of my favorites!!

If you have any other questions, post here and we'll do our best to help you. Happy beekeeping!!

 

[thespinningcottage]

Thanks! You do make it sound uncomplicated at least - I'll start delving into the fundamentals and let you know how it goes.

 

[bibliophile birds]

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the fundamentals are pretty easy. and jumping straight in really is probably the best way to learn. there are some things that you just can't really understand until they are right in front of you. it's good to have a beek club to turn to for advice and a good reference book is invaluable, but just doing it usually works out pretty well- especially if you are willing to check the hive often. then you will see all the changes and you'll be 3 steps ahead of most people who are trying to learn BEFORE they start.

and, of course, like Reinbeau said, we're always here to help if we can.

 

[sgtmom52]

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A couple of things you might to be aware of ~ most states including Florida required that hives be registered so they can inspected for disease (this is a good thing) also you may wish to notify your neighbor when you get your hive so that he can let you know what his spraying schedule is ~ this way you won't lose your bees to pesticides when he sprays.

Good Luck with your bees and remember bee keeping is like having chickens ~ you can't have just one! I started with 1 hive 4 years ago and now have 8 hives!

 

[ChksontheRun]

I have just a few words of advice.

1. Get a good book and read.... A couple that I have found very valuable are
First Lessons in Beekeeping by Keith S. Delaplane and The Backyard Beekeeper by Kim Flottom
Having a resource available when you have questions is very valuable

2. Get involved in some type of beekeeping group even if it is online. I belong to two beekeeping forums. " Bee source" and "Beekeeping forums" and both are very valuable resources. I know that there are Africanized bees in Fla. (That does not mean that yours will be) and you will want to have someone to go to with questions regarding re-queening regularly and watching the temperament of you hive.

3. Have fun with it. I just love my bees and find their habits and ways fascinating... and what a great location. I can only believe that your neighbor would love to have the polenation assistance.

Good luck and let us know how things progress.

 

[sgtmom52]

I second reading "The Backyard Beekeeper" by Kim Flottum (who is also the editor of Bee Culture magazine) and also recommend "Natural Beekeeping" by Ross Conrad.

Our Beekeeping Club had both of these gentlemen as speakers at meetings this year and both are very knowledgeable.

 

[thespinningcottage]

Thanks everyone for all the great info - I have already emailed the Lakeland (closest to me) branch of the Bee Culture group to ask about classes, and I have bookmarked the Fla. Ag. site that has the info on apiary registration and inspection. I have every intention of doing everything the right way. I'm going to move slowly. The Barefoot Beekeeper's "How to build a Top Bar Hive" directions look really cool, and the books you recommend will keep me busy. I'll keep you posted. Thanks again!!

 

[Reinbeau]

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Delaplane's book is good, just make sure you get the newest edition - he changed his gears quite a bit WRT chemicals in the latest edition (thankfully!!

The best beekeeping forum out there is Beemaster, it's the friendliest for newbies. Beesource is where the authors for the bee journals hang out, the climate there is a bit more elitist, but there's a wealth of knowledge there, too.

ETA I am not a fan of 'learning' on a top bar hive. There are some who are determined that it's the best way to keep bees, and I suppose it is, if your only aim is to 'keep bees'. If you're in it for honey, go with the standard Langstroth hive. To harvest honey from top bar hives you have to crush and strain the comb - comb takes resources to rebuild, and I'd rather the bees busy themselves with making honey and refilling frames than having to constantly rebuild their homes. Go ahead and do natural cell in standard frames, the bees do know what they need - ok, that's enough of my humble opinion

 

[thespinningcottage]

Reinbeau, thanks for the info on the top bar hive. That's definitely a consideration for us, since we're all about the honey and a healthy, happy (can bees be happy?) hive. I've ordered the Flottum book to start, and the best news of all is - DH is on board!! Sgtmom, thanks for the advice about the spraying. I probably wouldn't have thought of that.

Thanks again to everyone for helping spark the excitement.

 

[cheraboo]

Out checking the farm hive today. We split the hive not too long ago. Just wanted to see how things are going.

Jacob only pulled one frame of brood out . Didn't see eggs or larva but there is sealed brood and a couple of supercedure cells. The girls are busy, busy, busy