Honey Bee Sanctuary - NOT!

[WthrLady]

It wasn’t long after I got chickens that we, my DH and I, decided we would get some bees. I purchased several books and magazines about beekeeping and was all gung-ho. But then reality slapped me one day when I realized that we actually meant just me. Since I do not work anymore the apiary would be 99.99% my responsibility and I’m just not completely sure I would be able to handle the job. Unfortunately, my birthdays have given me many aches and pains, one of them being my new friend, Arthur-itis! He seems to want to give me a hand with everything.

With all that said I’m just not sure I could do what was needed, especially lifting the boxes. Heck, I can barely maneuver a 50 lb bag of chicken feed.

However, I still might just try your wonderful suggestion and visit a beekeeping club. Who knows! My beekeeping curiosity is sparked once again. Thank you for your awesome suggestion.

top bar hive......you tube
thats what i use. no lifting

 

[WthrLady]

Nope.

Ever see bees drink out of the "mud puddle" in a cow yard?

For Some Reason They Seem To Like The Yucky water!

and you can put hinges on the lids.

The downside is there isn't a lot of support out there from local shops or clubs, but they are sooooo easy to use.

There is also a great pair of books, I dont have them handy, but will dig them out if you want the titles.

 

[Kusanar]

So, you know how honey tastes like whatever the bees consume? And how the chickens can get tons of food in the water when they drink...…. Does that mean that the honey from the bees in question might taste like chicken feed?

No, because honey is made from pollen and bee spit, any ick in the water would be filtered by the bee and the honey tastes like the pollen.

 

[Mimi13]

and you can put hinges on the lids.

The downside is there isn't a lot of support out there from local shops or clubs, but they are sooooo easy to use.

There is also a great pair of books, I dont have them handy, but will dig them out if you want the titles.

I watched this last night. I find stuff like this so interesting. The man is just so calm and no gloves! I remember looking at this type setup several years ago.

And yes, I would be interested in the names of your books if it’s no trouble. Thank you.

 

[Mimi13]

No, because honey is made from pollen and bee spit, any ick in the water would be filtered by the bee and the honey tastes like the pollen.

The entire honey making process is totally amazing. Everything the little bees do to keep the hive going is nothing short of remarkable.

 

[WthrLady]

Balanced beekeeping books i and ii

 

[Mimi13]

Thankfully the bees must prefer my set up to the other sources around the yard. I’ve not seen a one anywhere other than their water on the table.

I just had put down the old kitty litter tub right before I took the picture. The bees are using it as much as they are the first one now.

 

[bnther]

I have had issues with bees in the past. FYI, if things are hot and dry enough, then the bees can become territorial around the water source.

Adding extra sources of water might seem like a good idea. However, if conditions are bad enough, what you might end up is a lot more bees as these insects will travel farther and farther until they find what they need.

The rocks in the water container is a great idea. However, if you can put this water source close to hive, then you should see a notable difference in the amount of bees in your yard. In the very least, try and put these 'bee waterers' as far away from your birds as possible.

I have seen bees get aggressive around water. You don't want your flock going without fluids simply because the bees have taken over.

Hope this helps : )

 

[Mimi13]

I have had issues with bees in the past. FYI, if things are hot and dry enough, then the bees can become territorial around the water source.

Adding extra sources of water might seem like a good idea. However, if conditions are bad enough, what you might end up is a lot more bees as these insects will travel farther and farther until they find what they need.

The rocks in the water container is a great idea. However, if you can put this water source close to hive, then you should see a notable difference in the amount of bees in your yard. In the very least, try and put these 'bee waterers' as far away from your birds as possible.

I have seen bees get aggressive around water. You don't want your flock going without fluids simply because the bees have taken over.

Hope this helps : )

Yes, thank you. This helps a lot. The scenario you mention is what I did not want to happen...the bees taking over. As I had noted earlier, my birds do not want to be near the bees at all. So far, by me placing a designated waterer for the bees up on my “processing table,” the chickens usually don’t spend much time in that area. (I wonder why? )

As to placing the waterer closer to the hive, well, I don’t know where the hive is. I am guessing these particular bees unfortunately belong to either a new beekeeper or a negligent one. This is the first year I have had problems with the bees around my chicken waterers.

I’m thankful the bees are not visiting the other waterers now. I don’t want to put their water too far away because I am having to refill the shallower of the two three to four times a day. There isn’t a leak in the container so either the bees drink a lot or the water is evaporating quickly. That is the reason I put the deeper container up on the table too. I honestly had no idea the water would not last a full day.

These little bees are very interesting as I find myself standing there watching them all the time, just doing their job. Not knowing much about bees, I’m guessing there are some that are exclusively water gatherers as some are pollen/nectar gatherers. This whole ‘what was purely aggravating in the beginning’ thing has sparked my interest once again in beekeeping. As long as I could find the correct setup that I could completely manage by myself (the Topbar hive), I might start researching again and give it a go this next spring. They certainly intrigue me, even though I don’t like honey.

 

[WthrLady]

LOL. Bees DO drink a lot of water. Water in, honey out.

I use a 3 gallon chicken waterer, with the trough full of small pebbles in the front of the house for the bees too lazy to come around to the irrigation fountain to drink. Keeps me from having to fill little troughs all day.