Awesome picture! That have been a really old hive with all that black comb, so many years of use!
I didn't know that beekeeping was the 'in' thing right now
I just knew it was always something that held my interest (bugs in general do!) so I swiped all my father's beekeeping books and started the research! He is going to be living vicariously through me, since he has always wanted to keep bees too, but was never stationary long enough to do so!
That hive had been living in that wall for probably 10 years. It took 2 guys 3-4 hours to get MOST of the comb and bees out, today he is picking up the hive with the rest of the bees and the queen (who had hidden herself)
I just started beekeeping this year too! I'm doing a top bar hive and so far it has been really fun. The bees still make me a little nervous but I get better every time I work with them. I just fed them on Friday and saw that they were building TONS of comb! I'm so excited
For those of you wanting to get into beekeeping but who are concerned about the cost I would definitely recommend looking into top bar hives. They are REALLY easy to build and mine probably cost around $50 using all brand new materials. You could probably do it for much less using reclaimed/recycled materials. So far it's also been really easy to work and I've found it much less intimidating to get started with than the Langstroth hives. You do get less honey but for us it's plenty - about 30 - 40 lbs per hive in your second year from what I've been told by more experienced beekeepers. You also get more beeswax which I'm really excited about because I want to make candles, soap, and other things with that.
I just knew it was always something that held my interest (bugs in general do!) so I swiped all my father's beekeeping books and started the research! He is going to be living vicariously through me, since he has always wanted to keep bees too, but was never stationary long enough to do so!
