Any Beekeepers out there?

[jtbrown]

OH my gosh, I cannot wait. I am really excited about this. Thanks for so much input. I see that beekeepers are as friendly and persuasive as the chicken keepers, and I am hooked on that too!

 

[Marcymom3]

I love bees! Hoping to take a class with a bee master this winter and get some bees in the spring. Thanks for all the great information!

 

[zzGypsy]

Quote:

yeah, I think beekeepers and chicken keepers are related.

if you get a chance, before you make any decisions on what to get, get your suit and gloves and visit with someone who keeps a top bar hive and someone who keeps regular box hives... bees are bees, but there are distinct differences to the two methods and most folks have a strong preference for one or the other. lots of new people start with top bar hives, but they do have limitations. I keep regular box hives, but next year I may build and populate a top bar hive, just so I can speak more specifically about what works with them and what doesn't.

one of the nice things about buying a prepopulated hive from a local beekeeper is they will sometimes show you how to open it, handle the bees, etc. either in their bee yard or after yours settle in. nothing like a little one-on-one coaching!

If you think you'll want to buy package bees, it's best to reserve them now... many apiaries will be sold out by the time it warms up enough to ship them...

bees are exceedingly cool.

 

[watchdogps]

Hubby and I were just talking about this today. We just moved to a small farm. Three acres, but we have some apple trees and pear trees we'd love to see producing better fruit (this years crop was ALL buggy), and we both are sad that honeybees are hardly ever seen. Honey would be a nice by product! Raw local honey is great for pollen allergies, and we both have that.

JTBrown - did you know Medina Ohio is a huge bee-keeping area? The Root candle company was founded there b/c of it, and the highschool mascot is the bee. You might look up there for bee keeping info, classes, stuff.