Honey Bees & chickens??????

[noodleroo]

I don't 'keep' bees, but I do have a HUGE purple basil plant that covers an area about 8' X 8". Two of my chickens insist on using it for their laying area instead of the lovely nest box. The basil is absolutely covered in honey bees every day and the chickens just ignore them; they have never been stung. Me either....

 

[7L Farm]

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Yep , I've encountered the same situation.

 

[sgtmom52]

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I've beening keeping them for about 5 years now and have 7 hives this year expecting to add at least 3 more Langstroth and a top bar hive next spring. Plan on having at least 2 hives to start ~ they will become as addictive as chickens!

I would be happy to help you and answer any questions you have. I started by reading and joining my local beekeeping club . Some great books are Ross Conrad's Natural Beekeeping" and Kim Flottum's "The Backyard Beekeeper". Kim is also the editor of "Bee Culture" magazine. I have met both of these men (both were guest speakers at our club's meetings) and they are very interesting and knowledgeable about small scale beekeeping.

 

[Dixiedoodle]

I have both.. They are fine together. The chickens will eat the bees that are thrown out and a few that are on the landing board but not enough to hurt the hive.. If they become to aggressive --place a small fence around the hives.

A friend of mine has turkey, chickens and guineas and she says the turkeys and guineas will stand in front of the hive and eat until they are full while her chickens come and go.. it doesn't hold their interest for long

 

[Ariel301]

I have a hive. They are a long way from the chicken coop and house, but plenty of them are buzzing around my garden and pens looking for food and water. The chickens also follow me out to the hive when I go look at it. No problems so far.

Bees are very low maintenance, good for your garden, and who doesn't want lots of free yummy honey? Good for you on choosing to become a bee keeper!

For others interested in getting bees and saving money, you can find plans online for building your own hive, it is pretty simple to do if you have some basic tools and ability. We currently have a homemade top-bar hive, but I don't like working with it, I can't seem to get into it without doing some damage, which upsets the bees and makes them aggressive. We're going to be building a Langstroth hive with standard frames (without the plastic foundation though, we're using wire ones) to make handling easier. In the spring I plan on setting up a second hive also.

 

[Liamm_1]

very interesting thread. How much land is needed to keep bees? I've seen in rural areas, bee keepers keep them in the middle of nowhere, maybe there's a reason?

 

[bigshoes213]

I have been looking into beekeeping too! I am hoping to start some time next year but it might be the year after that. (too many hobbies at the moment) I would love to read about your experiences about getting started.

I noticed one of my hens catching a wasp yesterday and killed it but she didnt eat it. I am not particularly fond of wasps at the moment. They are evil little creatures (for stinging without being provoked) right next to mice.

Good luck!

Christina

 

[BeardedLadyFarm]

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I live DOWNTOWN Philadelphia. As in 5 blocks from city hall... Smack in the middle of the city.

Turns out, city bees are much more productive than country bees. Like more than twice as productive. I know that seems counter intuitive. Cities stay warmer, giving bees more days of the year to fly and harvest pollen and nectar. Also, nearly every plant used in the city landscape, from petunias to street trees flower at some point.

Bees can fly up to 3 miles to gather food, but if all they need is within 2 blocks, they won't waste their energy flying.

I gathered about 50 pounds from my hive this spring. Hoping for more next year. Someone near me gets about 200 pounds of honey per hive here in the city. And it's DELICIOUS.

 

[Liamm_1]

I have also read that it's very nutritious, allergy-wise eating local honey. I'll look into it very seriously, thanks!

 

[BeardedLadyFarm]

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I have certainly heard this too. I will say this autumn has been easier on my allergies than any in recent history, and I've been eating lots of honey from my backyard.

The part of that I don't really agree with is that most allergy causing pollens (evergreens, grasses, ragweeds etc) are not insect pollinated, they are wind pollinated. Thus bees never visit them or interact with them. It seems odd to me that honey would help with these sorts of allergies, which are the major causes of hay-fever, etc.

I'm not discounting the benefits, I'm just not entirely convinced. I do love the natural, unrefined, sweetener aspect though...